"\T   Slr/t.V    fc.- 


J.CButtre . 


AUTOGRAPHS 


FOR     FREEDOM. 


EDITED     BY 


JULIA   GRIFFITHS, 


"  In  the  long  vista  of  the  years  to  roll, 

J^et  me  not  soo  my  country's  honor  fade; 
Oh !  let  me  see  our  land  retain  its  soul ! 
Her  pride  in  Freedom,  and  not  Freedom's  shade.': 


AUBURN: 
ALDEN,    BEARDSLEY    &    CO. 

ROCHESTER : 
WANZER,    BEARDSLEY    <fc    CO. 

18,54. 


ENTERED,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  J854,  by 
ALDEN,    BEARDSLEY    &    CO., 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  for  the  Northern  District  of 
New  York. 


STEREOTYPED    BY 

THOMAS  JB.   SMITH, 
216  William  St.  N.  Y. 


TN  commending  this,  the  second  volume  of  "  the 
Autographs  for  Freedom"  to  the  attention  of  the 

public,  "  THE.  ROCHESTER  LADIES'  ANTI-SLAVERY  So 

CIETY"  would  congratulate  themselves  and  the  friends 
of  freedom  generally  on  the  progress  made,  during 
the  past' year,  by  the  cause  to  which  the  book  is  de 
voted. 

We  greet  thankfully  those  who  have  contributed  of 
the  wealth  of  their  genius  ;  the  strength  of  their  con 
victions  ;  the  ripeness  of  their  judgment ;  their  earnest 
ness  of  purpose  ;  their  generous  sympathies ;  to  the 
completeness  and  excellence  of  the  work  ;  and  we  shall 
hope  to  meet  many  of  them,  if  not  all,  in  other  num 
bers  of  "  The  Autograph"  which  may  be  called  forth 
ere  the  chains  of  the  Slave  shall  be  broken,  and 


VI 


PREFACE. 


this  country  redeemed  from  the  sin  and  the  curse  of 

Slavery. 

On  behalf  of  the   Rochester  Ladies'    Anti-Slavery 
Societv. 


Sec'y. 


EOCHESTER,  N.  Y.,  NOT   VxH,  1853. 


nt-ents. 


Subject.  Author. 

INTRODUCTION  (The  Colored  People's 

"Industrial  Col!  <-e")     .        .         .  Prof.  C.  L.  Reason     .  11 
Massacre  at  Blount's  Fort      .        .      Hon.  J.  R.  Giddings 

The  Fugitive  Slave  Act     .        .        .  Hon.  Wm.  Jay  .        .  27 

The  Size  of  Souls   ....      Antoinette  L.  Brown  41 

Vincent  Oge      .        .                 .        .  George  B.  Vashon      .  44 

The  Law  of  Liberty       .         .        .      Rev.  Dr.  Wm.  Marsh  61 

The  Swiftness  of  Time  in  God  .        .  Theodore  Parker     .  63 
Visit  of  a  Fugitive  Slave  to  the  Grave 

of  Wilberforce    ....       Wm.  Wells  Brown     .  70 

Narrative  of  Albert  and  Mary  .        .  Dr.  W.  H.  Brisbane  77 

Toil  and  Trust       .        .        .        .      Hon.  Chas.  F.  Adams  128 
Friendship  for  the  Slave  is  Friendship 

for  the  Master        ....  Jacob  Abbott  .        .134 

Christine       .....      Anne  P.  Adams  .        .  139 
The  Intellectual,  Moral,  and  Spiritual 

Condition  of  the  Slave  .        .        .  J.  M,  '.  Langston       .  147 

The  Bible  versus  Slavery       .        .      Rev.  Dr.  Willis  .        .  151 

The  Work  Goes  Bravely  on      .        .   W.  J.  WatUns        .  156 


viii  CONTENTS. 

Subject.  Author.  PAGB 

Slaveholding  not  a  Misfortune  but  a 

Crime Rev   Wm.  Brock         .  158 

The  Illegality  of  Slaveholding  .  .  Rev.  W.  Goodell  .  15<J 
"  Ore  Perennius"  ....  David  Paul  Brown  .  100 
The  Mission  of  America  .  .  .  John  S.  C.  Abbott  .  101 
Disfellowshipping  the  Slaveholder  Lewis  Tuppan  .  .163 
A  Leaf  from  my  Scrap  Book  .  Wm.  J.  Wilson  .  1G5 
"Who  is  my  Neighbor  .  .  .  Rev.  Thos.  Starr  King  174 
Consolation  for  the  Slave  .  .  Dr.  S.  Willard  .  175 

The  Key Dr.  S.  Willard  .         .177 

The  True  Mission  of  Liberty  .        .      Dr.  W.  Elder         .       178 
The  True  Spirit  of  Reform         .         .  Mary  Willard   .         .180 
A  Welcome  to  Mrs.  H.  13.  Stowe,  on 

her  return  from  Europe      .         .       J.  C.  Holly     .        .       184 
Forward  (from  the  German)     .         .  Rev.  T.  W.  Higginson  186 
What  has  Canada  to  do  with  Slavery  ?  Thos.  Henning        .      187 
A  Fragment  .....      Rev.  Rtifus  Ellis        .  190 

The  Encroachment  of  the  Sla  ve  Po  wer  John  Jay,  Esq.        .       192 
Tlie  Dishonor  of  Labor      .         .         .  Horace  Grceley  .         .194 
The  Evils  of  Colonization       .        .       Wm.  Watkins         .      198 
The  Basis  of  the  American  Constitu 
tion       .        .        .        .        .        .  Hon.  Wm.  H.  Seward   201 

A  Wish          .        .        .        .        ,      Mrs.  C.  M.  Kirldand    207 

A  Dialogue C.A.Bloss        .        .210 

A  time  of  Justice  will  come  .  .  Hon.  Gerit  Smith.  225 
Hope  and  Confidence  .  .  .  Prof.  C.  L.  Reason  .  226 
A  Letter  that  speaks  for  itself  .  Jane  G.  Swi&shelm  .  230 

On  Freedom R.  W.  Emerson  .        .  235 

Mary  Smith.   'An  Anti-Slavery  Re 
miniscence  .        .  Son  S.  E.  Swell,  i      236 


CONTENTS.  ix 

Subject.  Author.  PAGE 

Freedom — Liberty  ....  Dr.  J.  McCune  Smith  241 
An  Aspiration  .  .  ...  Rev.  E.  H.  Chapin .  242 
The  Dying  Soliloquy  of  the  Victim  of 

the  Wilkesbarre  Tragedy  .  .  Mrs.  H.  H.  Greenovgh  243 
Let  all  be  Free  ....  Hon.  C.  M.  Clay  .  248 
Extract  from  a  Speech  .  .  .  Frederick  Douglass  .  251 
Extract  from  an  Unpublished  Poem 

on  Freedom  ....  William  D.  Snow  .  250 

Letter Rev.  H.  Ward  Seedier  273 

A  Day  Spent  at  Playford  Hall  .  Mrs.  Harriet  B.  Stowe  277 
Teaching  the  Slave  to  Read  .  .  Mary  Irving  .  .  304 


INTRODUCTION. 


f|e  Cfflonfc  file's  "f ntostrial  Coltoj* " 

"WHAT    SOME    OF    THE    BUILDERS    HAVE    THOUGHT. 

A  "WOED  oft-times  is  expressive  of  an  entire  pol- 
-£*-  icy.  Such  is  the  term  Abolition.  Though  for 
merly  used  as  a  synonym  of  Anti-Slavery^  people  now 
clearly  understand  that  the  designs  of  those  who  have 
ranged  themselves  under  the  first  of  these  systems  of 
reform  are  of  deeper  significance  and  wider  scope 
than  are  the  objects  contemplated  by  the  latter,  and 
concern  themselves  not  only  with  the  great  primary 
question  of  bodily  freedom,  but  take  in  also  the  col 
lateral  issues  connected  with  human  enfranchisement, 
independent  of  race,  complexion,  or  sex. 

The  Abolitionist  of  to-day  is  the  Iconoclast  of  the 
age,  and  his  mission  is  to  break  the  idolatrous  images 


12  THE  COLORED  PEOPLE'S 

set  up  by  a  hypocritical  Church,  a  Sham  Democracy, 
or  a  corrupt  public  sentiment,  and.  to  substitute  in 
their  stead  the  simple  and  beautiful  doctrine  of  a  com 
mon  brotherhood.  He  would  elevate  every  creature 
by  abolishing  the  hinderances  and  checks  imposed 
upon  him,  whether  these  be  legal  or  social — and  in 
proportion  as  such  grievances  are  invidious  and 
severe,  in  such  measure  does  he  place  himself  in  the 
front  rank  of  the  battle,  to  wage  his  emancipating 
war. 

Therefore  it  is  that  the  Abolitionist  has  come  to  be 
considered  the  especial  friend  of  the  negro,  since  he,  of 
all  others,  has  been  made  to  drink  deep  from  the  cup 
of  oppression. 

The  free-colored  man  at  the  north,  for  his  bond- 
brother  as  for  himself,  has  trusted  hopefully  in  the  in 
creasing  public  sentiment,  which,  in  the  multiplica 
tion  of  these  friends,  has  made  his  future  prospects 
brighter.  And,  to-day,  while  he  is  making  a  noble 
struggle  to  vindicate  the  claims  of  his  entire  class,  de 
pending,  mainly  for  the  accomplishment  of  that  end 
on  his  own  exertions,  he  passes  in  review  the  devotion 
and  sacrifices  made  in  his  behalf:  gratitude  is  in  his 
heart,  and  thanks  fall  from  his  lips.  But,  in  one  de- 


"INDUSTKIAL    COLLEGE."  13 

partment  of  reformatory  exertion  he  feels  that  he  has 
been  neglected.  He  has  seen  his  pledged  allies  throw 
themselves  into  the  hottest  of  the  battle,  to  fight  for 
the  Abolition  of  Capital  Punishment — for  the  Pro 
hibition  of  the  Liquor  Traffic — for  the  Eights  of 
\Yomen,  and  similar  reforms, — but  he  has  failed  to 
see  a  corresponding  earnestness,  according  to  the  in 
fluence  of  Abolitionists  in  the  business  world,  in  open 
ing  the  avenues  of  industrial  labor  to  the  proscribed 
youth  of  the  land.  This  work,  therefore,  is  evidently 
left  for  himself  to  do.  And  he  has  laid  his  powers  to 
the  task.  The  record  of  his  conclusions  was  given 
at  Eochester,  in  July,  and  has  become  already  a  part 
of  history. 

Though  shut  out  from  the  workshops  of  the  coun 
try,  he  is  determined  to  make  self-provision,  so  as  to 
triumph  over  the  spirit  of  caste  that  would  keep  him 
degraded.  The  utility  of  the  Industrial  Institution  he 
would  erect,  must,  he  believes,  commend  itself  to 
Abolitionists.  But  not  only  to  them.  The  verdict  of 
less  liberal  minds  has  been  given  already  in  its  favor. 
The  tSefulness,  the  self-respect  and  self-dependence, — 
the  combination  of  intelligence  and  handicraft, — the 
accumulation  of  the  materials  of  wealth,  all  referable 


14  THE  COLORED  PEOPLE'S 

to  such  an  Institution,  present  fair  claims  to  the  as 
sistance  of  the  entire  American  people. 

Whenever  emancipation  shall  take  place,  immedi 
ate  though  it  be,  the  subjects  of  it,  like  many  who 
now  make  up  the  so-called  free  population,  will  be  in 
what  Geologists  call,  the  "  Transition  State."  The 
prejudice  now  felt  against  them  for  bearing  on  their 
persons  the  brand  of  slaves,  cannot  die  out  immedi 
ately.  Severe  trials  will  still  be  their  portion — the 
curse  of  a  "  taunted  race  "  must  be  expiated  by  almost 
miraculous  proofs  of  advancement ;  and  some  of  these 
miracles  must  be  antecedent  to  the  great  day  of 
Jubilee.  To  fight  the  battle  on  the  bare  ground  of 
abstract  principles,  will  fail  to  give  us  complete  vic 
tory.  The  subterfuges  of  pro-slavery  selfishness  must 
now  be  dragged  to  light,  and  the  last  weak  argument, 
— that  the  negro  can  never  contribute  anything  to  ad 
vance  the  national  character,  "nailed  to  the  counter 
as  base  coin."  To  the  conquering  of  the  difficulties 
heaped  up  in  the  path  of  his  industry,  the  free-colored 
man  of  the  North  has  pledged  himself.  Already  he 
sees,  springing  into  growth,  from  out  his  foster  work- 
school,  intelligent  young  laborers,  competent  to  enrich 
the  world  with  necessary  products — industrious 


"INDUSTRIAL    COLLEGE."  15 

citizens,  contributing  their  proportion  to  aid  on  the 
advancing  civilization  of  the  country; — self-provid 
ing  artizans  vindicating  their  people  from  the  never- 
ceasing  charge  of  a  fitness  for  servile  positions. 

Abolitionists  ought  to  consider  it  a  legitimate  part 
of  their  great  work,  to  aid  in  such  an  enterprise — to 
abolish  not  only  chattel  servitude,  but  that  other  kind 
of  slavery,  which,  for  generation  after  generation, 
dooms  an  oppressed  people  to  a  condition  of  depend 
ence  and  pauperism.  Such  an  Institution  would  be 
a  shining  mark,  in  even  this  enlightened  age ;  and 
every  man  and  woman,  equipped  by  its  discipline  to 
do  good  battle  in  the  arena  of  active  life,  would  be, 
next  to  the  emancipated  bondman,  the  most  desirable 
u  Autograph  for  Freedom}'1 


at 


ON  the  west  side  of  the  Appalachicola  Eiver,  some 
forty  miles  below  the  line  of  Georgia,  are  yet 
found  the  ruins  of  what  was  once  called  "  BLOUNT'S 
FOKT."  Its  ramparts  are  now  covered  with  a  dense 
growth  of  underbrush  and  small  trees.  You  may  yet 
trace  out  its  bastions,  curtains,  and  magazine.  At 
this  time  the  country  adjacent  presents  the  appearance 
of  an  unbroken  wilderness,  and  the  whole  scene  is  one 
of  gloomy  solitude,  associated  as  it  is  with  one  of  the 
most  cruel  massacres  which  ever  disgraced  the  Ameri 
can  arms. 

The  fort  had  originally  been  erected  by  civilized 
troops,  and,  when  abandoned  by  its  occupants  at  the 
close  of  the  war,  in  1815,  it  was  taken  possession  of 
by  the  refugees  from  Georgia.  But  little  is  yet  known 
of  that  persecuted  people;  their  history  can  only  be 


AT  BLOUNT'S  FORT.  17 

found  in  the  national  archives  at  Washington.  They 
had  been  held  as  slaves  in  the  State  referred  to ;  but 
during  the  Eevolution  they  caught  the  spirit  of 
liberty,  at  that  time  so  prevalent  throughout  our  land, 
and  fled  from  their  oppressors  and  found  an  asylum 
among  the  aborigines  living  in  Florida. 

During  forty  years  they  had  effectually  eluded,  or 
resisted,  all  attempts  to  re-enslave  them.  They  were 
true  to  themselves,  to  the  instinctive  love  of  liberty, 
which  is  planted  in  every  human  heart.  Most  of 
them  had  been  born  amidst  perils,  reared  in  the  forest, 
and  taught  from  their  childhood,  to  hate  the  oppress 
ors  of  their  race.  Most  of  those  who  had  been  per 
sonally  held  in  degrading  servitude,  whose  backs  had 
been  seared  by  the  lash  of  the  savage  overseer,  had 
passed  to  that  spirit-land  where  the  clanking  of 
chains  is  not  heard,  where  slavery  is  not  known. 
Some  few  of  that  class  yet  remained.  Their  gray 
hairs  and  feeble  limbs,  however,  indicated  that  they, 
too,  must  soon  pass  away.  Of  the  three  hundred  and 
eleven  persons  residing  in  "  Blount's  Fort"  not  more 
than  twenty  had  been  actually  held  in  servitude.  The 
others  were  descended  from  slave  parents,  who  fled 
from  Georgia,  and,  according  to  the  laws  of  slave 


18  MASSACRE 

States,  were  liable  to  suffer  the  same  outrages  to  which 
their  ancestors  had  been  subjected. 

It  is  a  most  singular  feature  in  slave-holding 
morals,  that  if  the  parents  be  robbed  of  their  liberty, 
deprived  of  the'  rights  with  which  their  Creator  has 
endowed  them,  the  perpetrator  of  these  wrongs  be 
comes  entitled  to  repeat  them  upon  the  children  of 
their  former  victims.  There  were  also  some  few 
parents  and  grandchildren,  as  well  as  middle-aged 
persons,  who  sought  protection  within  the  walls  of 
the  Fort  against  the  vigilant  slave-catchers  who  oc 
casionally  were  seen  prowling  around  the  fortifica 
tions,  but  who  dare  not  venture  within  the  power  of 
those  whom  they  sought  to  enslave. 

These  fugitives  had  planted  their  gardens,  and  some 
of  them  had  flocks  roaming  in  the  wilderness ;  all 
were  enjoying  the  fruits  of  their  labor,  and  congratu 
lating  themselves  upon  being  safe  from  the  attacks  of 
those  who  enslave  mankind.  But  the  spirit  of  op 
pression  is  inexorable.  The  slaveholders  rinding  they 
could  not  themselves  obtain  possession  of  their  in 
tended  victims,  called  on  the  President  of  the  United 
States  for  assistance  to  perpetrate  the  crime  of  enslav 
ing  their  fellow  men.  That  functionary  had  been 


AT   BLOUNT'S  FORT.  19 

reared  amid  southern  institutions.  He  entertained  no 
doubt  of  the  right  of  one  man  to  enslave  another. 
He  did  not  doubt  that  if  a  man  held  in  servitude 
should  attempt  to  escape,  he  would  be  worthy  of 
death.  In  short,  he-  fully  sympathised  with  those 
who  sought  his  official  aid.  He  immediately  directed 
the  Secretary  of  War  to  issue  orders  to  the  Com 
mander  of  the  "Southern  Military  District  of  the 
United  States"  to  send  a  detachment  of  troops  to  de 
stroy  "  Blount's  Fort,"  and  to  "  seize  those  who  occupied 
it  and  return  them  to  their  masters"* 

General  Jackson,  at  that  time  Commander  of  the 
Southern  Military  District,  directed  Lieut. -Colonel 
Clinch  to  perform  the  barbarous  task.  I  was  at  one 
time  personally  acquainted  with  that  officer,  and 
know  the  impulses  of  his  generous  nature,  and  can 
readily  account  for  the  failure  of  his  expedition.  He 
marched  to  the  vicinity  of  the  Fort,  made  the  neces 
sary  recognisance,  and  returned,  making  report  that 
"  the  fortification  was  not  accessible  by  land."f 

*  Vide  Executive  documents  of  the  2d  Session  13th  Congress. 

f  It  is  believed  that  this  report  was  suggested  by  the  humanity  of 
Col.  Clinch.  He  was  reputed  one  of  the  bravest  and  most  energetic 
officers  in  the  service.  He  possessed  an  indomitable  perseverance,  and 
could  probably  have  captured  the  Fort  in  one  hour,  had  he  desired  to 
do  so. 


20  MASSACRE 

Orders  were  then  issued  to  Commodore  Patterson, 
directing  him  to  carry  out  the  directions  of  the  Secre 
tary  of  War.  He  at  that  time  commanded  the  Ameri 
can  flotilla  lying  in  "Mobile  Bay,"  and  instantly 
issued  an  order  to  Lieut.  Loomis  to  ascend  the  Ap- 
palachicola  Eiver  with  two  gun-boats,  "  to  seize  the 
people  in  BLOUNT'S  FOKT,  deliver  them  to  their 
owners,  and  destroy  the  Fort." 

On  the  morning  of  the  17th  Sept.,  A.  D.  1816,  a 
spectator  might  have  seen  several  individuals  stand 
ing  upon  the  walls  of  that  fortress  watching  with  in 
tense  interest  the  approach  of  two  small  vessels  that 
were  slowly  ascending  the  river,  under  full-spread 
canvas,  by  the  aid  of  a  light  southern  breeze.  They 
were  in  sight  at  early  dawn,  but  it  was  ten  o'clock 
when  they  furled  their  sails  and  cast  anchor  opposite 
the  Fort,  and  some  four  or  five  hundred  yards  dis 
tant  from  it. 

A  boat  was  lowered,  and  soon  a  midshipman  and 
twelve  men  were  observed  making  for  the  shore. 
They  were  met  at  the  water's  edge  by  some  half 
dozen  of  the  principal  men  in  the  Fort,  and  their 
errand  demanded. 

The  young  officer  told  them  he  was  sent  to  make 


AT  BLOUNT'S  FOKT.  21 

demand  of  the  Fort,  and  that  its  inmates  were  to  be 
given  up  to  the  "  slaveholders,  then  on  board  the 
gun-boat,  who  claimed  them  as  fugitive  slaves !"  The 
demand  was  instantly  rejected,  and  the  midshipman 
and  his  men  returned  to  the  gun-boats  and  informed 
Lieut.  Loomis  of  the  answer  he  had  received. 

As  the  colored  men  entered  the  Fort  they  related 
to  their  companions  the  demand  that  had  been  made. 
Great  was  the  consternation  manifested  by  the 
females,  and  even  a  portion  of  the  sterner  sex  ap 
peared  to  be  distressed  at  their  situation.  This  was 
observed  by  an  old  patriarch,  who  had  drunk  the 
bitter  cup  of  servitude,  one  who  bore  on  his  person 
the  visible  marks  of  the  thong,  as  well  as  the  brand 
of  his  master,  upon  his  shoulder.  He  saw  his  friends 
faultered,  and  he  spoke  cheerfully  to  them.  He  as 
sured  them  that  they  were  safe  from  the  cannon  shot 
of  the  enemy — that  there  were  not  men  enough  on 
board  the  vessels  to  storm  their  Fort,  and  finally 
closed  with  the  emphatic  declaration :  "  Give  me  liberty 
or  give  me  death  /"  This  saying  was  repeated  by 
many  agonized  fathers  and  mothers  on  that  bloody  day. 

A  cannonade  was  soon  commenced  upon  the  Fort, 
but  without  much  apparent  effect.  The  shots  were 


22  MASSACEE 

harmless;  they  penetrated  the  earth  of  which  the 
walls  were  composed,  and  were  there  buried,  without 
further  injury.  Some  two  hours  were  thus  spent 
without  injuring  any  person  in  the  Fort.  They  then 
commenced  throwing  bombs.  The  bursting  of  these 
shells  had  more  effect.  There  was  no  shelter  from 
these  fatal  messages.  Mothers  gathered  their  little 
ones  around  them  and  pressed  their  babes  more 
closely  to  their  bosoms,  as  one  explosion  after  an 
other  warned  them  of  their  imminent  danger.  By 
these  explosions  some  were  occasionally  wounded 
and  a  few  killed,  until,  at  length,  the  shrieks  of  the 
wounded  and  groans  of  the  dying  were  heard  in 
various  parts  of  the  fortress. 

Do  you  ask  why  these  mothers  and  children  were 
thus  butchered  in  cold  blood?  I  answer,  they  were 
slain  for  adhering  to  the  doctrine  that  "  all  men  are 
endowed  by.  their  Creator  with  the  inalienable  right  to 
enjoy  life  and  liberty"  Holding  to  this  doctrine  of 
Hancock  and  of  Jefferson,  the  power  of  the  nation 
was  arrayed  against  them,  and  our  army  employed  to 
deprive  them  of  life. 

The  bombardment  was  continued  some  hours  with 
but  little  effect,  so  far  as  the  assailants  could  discover. 


AT   BLOUNT'S  FORT.  23 

They  manifested  no  disposition  to  surrender.  The 
day  was  passing  away.  Lieut.  Loomis  called  a 
council  of  officers  and  put  to  them  the  question,  what 
further  shall  be  done  ?  An  under  officer  suggested  the 
propriety  of  firing  "  hot  shot  at  the  magazine."  The 
proposition  was  agreed  to.  The  furnaces  were  heated, 
balls  were  prepared,  and  the  cannonade  was  resumed. 
The  occupants  of  the  Fort  felt  relieved  by  the  change. 
They  could  hear  the  deep  humming  sound  of  the 
cannon  balls,  to  which  they  had  become  accustomed 
in  the  early  part  of  the  day,  and  some  made  them 
selves  merry  at  the  supposed  folly  of  their  assailants. 
They  knew  not  that  the  shot  was  heated,  and  was  there 
fore  unconscious  of  the  dan'ger  which  threatened  them. 

The  sun  was  rapidly  descending  in  the  west.  The 
tall  pines  and  spruce  threw  their  shadows  over  the 
fortification.  The  roar  of  the  cannon,  the  sighing  of 
the  shot,  the  groans  of  the  wounded,  the  dark  shades  of 
approaching  evening,  all  conspired  to  render  the  scene 
one  of  intense  gloom.  They  longed  for  the  approach 
ing  night  to  close  around  them  in  order  that  they  might 
bury  the  dead,  and  flee  to  the  wilderness  for  safety. 

Suddenly  a  startling  phenomena  presented  itself  to 
their  astonished  view.  The  heavy  embankment  and 


24  MASSACEE 

timbers  protecting  the  magazine  appeared  to  rise  from 
the  earth,  and  the  next  instant  the  dreadful  explosion 
overwhelmed  them,  and  the  next  found  two  hundred 
and  seventy  parents  and  children  in  the  immediate 
presence  of  a  holy  God,  making  their  appeal  for  retri 
butive  justice  upon  the  government  who  had  mur 
dered  them,  and  the  freemen  of  the  north  who  sus 
tained  such  unutterable  crimes.* 

Many  were  crushed  by  the  falling  earth  and  the  tim 
bers  ;  many  were  entirely  buried  in  the  ruins.  Some 
were  horribly  mangled  by  the  fragments  of  timber  and 
the  explosion  of  charged  shells  that  were  in  the  maga 
zine.  Limbs  were  torn  from  the  bodies  to  which  they 
had  been  attached.  Mothers  and  babes  lay  beside  each 
other,  wrapped  in  that  sleep  which  knows  no  waking. 

The  sun  had  set,  and  the  twilight  of  evening  was 
closing  around  them,  when  some  sixty  sailors,  under 
the  officer  second  in  command,  landed,  and,  without 
opposition,  entered  th^  j?ort.  The  veteran  sailors,  ac 
customed  to  blood  and  carnage,  were  horror-stricken 
as  they  viewed  the  scene  before  them.  They  were 
accompanied,  however,  by  some  twenty  slaveholders, 

*  That  is  the  number  officially  reported  by  the  officer  in  command, 
vide  Executive  doc.  of  the  1 3th  Coagress. 


AT    BLOUNT'S    FOKT.  25 

all  anxious  for  their  prey.  These  paid  little  attention 
to  the  dead  and  dying,  but  anxiously  seized  upon  the 
living,  and,  fastening  the  fetters  upon  their  limbs, 
hurried  them  from  the  Fort,  and  instantly  commenced 
their  return  towards  the  frontier  of  Georgia.  Some 
fifteen  persons  in  the  Fort  survived  the  terrible  ex 
plosion,  and  they  now  sleep  in  servile  graves,  or  moan 
and  weep  in  bondage. 

The  officer  in  command  of  the  party,  with  his  men, 
returned  to  the  boats  as  soon  as  the  slaveholders  were 
fairly  in  possession  of  their  victims.  The  sailors  ap 
peared  gloomy  and  thoughtful  as  they  returned  to 
their  vessels.  The  anchors  were  weighed,  the  sails 
unfurled,  and  both  vessels  hurried  from  the  scene  of 
butchery  as  rapidly  as  they  were  able.  After  the 
officers  had  retired  to  their  cabins,  the  rough-featured 
sailors  gathered  before  the  mast,  and  loud  and  bitter 
were  the  curses  they  uttered  against  slavery  and 
against  those  officers  of  government  who  had  then 
constrained  them  to  murder  women  and  helpless 
children,  merely  for  their  love  of  liberty. 

But  the  dead  remained  unburied ;  and  the  next  day 
the  vultures  were  feeding  upon  the  carcasses  of  young 
men  and  young  women,  whose  hearts  on  the  previous 


26  MASSACEE. 

morning  had  beaten  high  with  expectation.  Their 
bones  have  been  bleaching  in  the  sun  for  thirty-seven 
years,  and  may  yet  be  seen  scattered  among  the  ruins 
of  that  ancient  fortification. 

Twenty-two  years  elapsed,  and  a  representative  in 
Congress,  from  one  of  the  freo  States,  reported  a  bill 
giving  to  the  perpetrators  of  these  murders  a  gratuity 
of  five  thousand  dollars  from  the  public  treasury,  as  a 
token  of  the  gratitude  which  the  people  of  this  nation 
felt  for  the  soldierly  and  gallant  manner  in  which  the 
crime  was  committed  toward  them.  The  bill  passed 
both  houses  of  Congress,  was  approved  by  the  Presi 
dent,  and  now  stands  upon  our  statute  book  among 
the  laws  enacted  at  the  3d  Session  of  the  25th  Congress. 

The  facts  are  all  found  scattered  among  the  various 
public  documents  which  repose  in  the  alcoves  of  our 
National  Library.  But  no  historian  has  been  willing 
to  collect  and  publish  them,  in  consequence  of  the 
deep  disgrace  which  they  reflect  upon  the  American 
arms,  and  upon  those  who  then  controlled  the  gov 
ernment. 


Cfje  Jujttiitt  Claire 


TJ1  E  W  laws  liave  ever  been  passed  better  calculated 
•*-  than  this  to  harden  the  heart  and  benumb  the 
conscience  of  every  man  who  assists  in  its  execution. 
It  pours  contempt  upon  the  dictates  of  justice  and 
humanity.  It  levels  in  the  dust  the  barriers  erected 
by  the  common  law  for  the  protection  of  personal 
liberty.  Its  victims  are  native  born  Americans,  un 
charged  with  crime.  These  men  are  seized,  without 
notice,  and  instantly  carried  before  an  officer,  by 
whom  they  are  generally  hurried  off  into  a  cruel 
bondage,  for  the  remainder  of  their  days,  and  some 
times  without  time  being  allowed  for  a  parting  inter 
view  with  their  families.  Such  treatment  would  be 
cruel  toward  criminals  ;  but  these  men  are  adjudged 
to  toil,  to  stripes,  to  ignorance,  to  poverty,  to  hope 
less  degradation,  on  the  pretence  that  they  "  owe  ser- 


28  THE  FUGITIVE 

vice."  This  allegation  all  know  to  be  utterly  false, 
they  having  never  promised  to  serve,  and  being 
legally  incapable  of  making  any  contract.  Every  act 
of  Christian  kindness  to  these  unhappy  people,  tend 
ing  to  secure  to  them 'the  rights  which  our  declaration 
of  independence  asserts  belong  to  all  men,  is  made  by 
this  accursed  law  a  penal  offence,  to  be  punished  with 
fine  and  imprisonment.  Mock  judges,  unknown  to 
the  constitution,  and  bribed  by  the  promise  of  double 
fees  to  re-enslave  the  fugitive,  are  commanded  to  de 
cide,  summarily,  the  most  momentous  personal  issue, 
with  the  single  exception  of  life  and  death,  that  could 
possibly  engage  the  attention  of  a  legal  tribunal  of  the 
most  august  character.  Yet  this  tremendous  issue  of 
liberty  or  bondage,  is  to  be  decided,  not  only  in  a 
hurry,  but  on  such  prima  facie  evidence  as  may 
satisfy  the  judge,  and  this  judge,  too,  selected  from  a 
herd  of  similar  'creatures,  by  the  claimant  himself !  ! 
An  exparte  affidavit,  made  by  an  absent  and  interested 
party,  with  the  certificate  of  an  absent  judge  that  he 
believes  it  to  be  true,  is  to  be  received  as  CONCLUSIVE, 
in  the  face  of  any  amount  of  oral  and  documentary 
testimony  to  the  contrary.  "  Can  a  man  take  fire 
into  his  bosom  and  not  be  burned  ?"  Can  a  man  aid 


SLAVE  ACT.  29 

in  executing  such,  a  law  without  defiling  his  own 
conscience  ?  Yet  does  this  profligate  statute,  with 
impious  arrogance,  command  "ALL  GOOD  CITIZENS" 
to  assist  in  enforcing  it,  when  required  so  to  do  by  an 
official  slave-catcher ! 

It  is  a  singular  fact,  in  the  history  of  this  enact 
ment,  that  Mr.  Mason,  who  introduced  the  bill,  and 
Mr.  Webster,  who,  in  advance,  pledged  to  it  his  sup 
port  "  to  the  fullest  extent,"  both  confessed,  on  the 
floor  of  Congress,  that  in  their  individual  judgments, . 
it  was  UNCONSTITUTIONAL, — that  is,  that  the  consti 
tution,  as  they  expounded  it,  imposed  upon  the  States 
severally,  the  obligation  to  surrender  fugitive  slaves, 
and  gave  Congress  no  power  to  legislate  on  the  sub 
ject.  The  Supreme  Court,  however,  having  other 
wise  determined,  these  gentlemen  acquiesced  in  its 
decision,  without  being  convinced  by  it.  It  is  well 
known  how  grossly  Mr.  Webster,  in  his  subsequent 
canvass  for  the  Presidency,  insulted  all  who,  like  him 
self,  denied  the  constitutionality  of  the  law.  Another 
significant  fact  in  the  same  history  is,  that  the  law  was 
passed  by  a  minority  of  the  House  of  Eepresentatives. 
Of  232  members,  only  109  recorded  their  names  in  its 
favor.  Many,  deterred  either  by  scruples  of  con- 


80  THE  FUGITIVE 

science  or  doubts  of  the  popularity  of  the  measure,  de 
clined  voting,  while  party  discipline  prevented  them 
from  offering  to  it  an  open  and  manly  resistance.  A 
third  fact  in  this  history,  worthy  to  be  remembered, 
is,  that  the  advocates  of  the  law  are  conscious  that  its 
revolting  provisions  would  not  bear  discussion,  forced 
its  passage  under  the  previous  question,  thus  prevent 
ing  any  remarks  on  its  enormities — any  appeals  to 
the  consciences  of  the  members — against  the  perpetra 
tion  of  such  detestable  wickedness. 

Seldom  has  any  public  iniquity  been  committed  to 
which  the  words  of  the  Psalmist  have  been  so  appli 
cable  :  "  Surely  the  wrath  of  man  shall  praise  THEE  ; 
and  the  remainder  of  wrath  shalt  THOU  restrain." 

It  was  happily  so  ordered,  that  several  of  the  early 
seizures .  and  surrenders  under  this  law  were  con 
ducted  with  such  marked  barbarity,  such  cruel  in 
decent  haste,  such  wanton  disregard  of  justice  and  of 
humanity,  as  to  shock  the  moral  sense  of  the  com 
munity,  and  to  render  the  law  intensely  hateful. 

Very  soon  after  the  law  went  into  operation,  one 
of  the  pseudo  judges  created  by  it,  surrendered  an 
alleged  slave,  on  evidence  which  no  jury  would  have 
deemed  sufficient  to  establish  a  title  to  a  dog.  In  vain 


SLAVE  ACT.  31 

the  wretched  man  declared  his  freedom — in  vain  he 
named  six  witnesses  whom  he  swore  could  prove  his 
freedom — in  vain  he  implored  for  a  delay  of  ONE 
HOUR.  He  was  sent  off  as  a  slave,  guarded,  at  the 
expense  of  the  United  States  treasury,  to  his  pre 
tended  master  in  Maryland,  who  honestly  refused  to 
receive  him.  The  judge  had  made  a  mistake  ( I )  and 
had  sent  a  free  man  instead,  of  a  slave. 

This  vile  law,  although  of  course  receiving  the 
sanction  of  the  Democrats,  it  being  a  bid  for  the 
Presidency,  was  a  device  of  the  "Whig  party,  and 
could  not  have  been  carried  but  by  the  co-operation 
of  Webster,  Clay,  and  Fillmore.  As  if  to  enhance 
the  value  of  the  bid,  the  Administration  affected  a 
desire  to  baptise  it  in  northern  blood,  by  making  re 
sistance  to  the  tew,  a  crime  to  be  punished  with 
DEATH.  The  hustling  of  an  officer,  and  the  conse 
quent  escape  of  an  arrested  fugitive,  were  declared,  by 
the  Secretary  of  State,  to  be  a  levying  of  war  against 
the  United  States — of  course  an  act  of  HIGH  TREASON, 
to  be  expiated  on  the  gallows ;  and  the  rioters  at 
Christiana  were  prosecuted  for  HIGH  TREASON,  in  pur- 

9 

suance  of  orders  forwarded  from  Washington.      This 
wretched  sycophancy  won  no  favor  from  the  slave- 


32  THE  FUGITIVE 

holders,  and  the  result  of  the  abominable  and  absurd 
prosecution  only  brought  on  the  authors  and  advo 
cates  of  the  law  fresh  obloquy.  When  men  obtain 
some  rich  and  splendid  prize,  by  their  wrong-doing, 
many  admire  their  boldness  and  dexterity,  but  foolish, 
profitless  wickedness  ensures  only  contempt.  The 
northern  Whigs,  in  doing  obeisance  to  the  slave 
power,  sinned  against  their  oft-repeated  and  solemn 
professions  and  pledges.  They  sinned  in  the  expecta 
tion  of  thereby  electing  a  President,  and  enjoying  the 
patronage  he  would  dispense.  Most  bitterly  were 
these  men  disappointed,  first  in  the  candidate  selected, 
and  next  in  the  result  of  the  election.  The  party  has 
been  beaten  to  death,  and  it  died  unhonored  and  un 
wept.  Let  the  Fugitive  Slave  Law  be  its  epitaph. 
Truly  the  Whig  politicians  were  "snared  in  the  work 
of  their  own  hands." 

Certain  fashionable  Divines  deemed  it  expedient  to 
second  the  efforts  of  the  politicians  in  catching  slaves, 
by  talking  from  their  pulpits  about  Hebrew  slavery, 
and  the  reverence  due  to  the  "  powers  that  be  or 
dained  of  God."  Yet  the  injunctions  of  the  fugitive 
law  were  so  obviously  at  variance  with  the  "HIGHER 
LAW"  of  justice  and  mercy  which  these  gentlemen 


SLAVE  ACT.  S3 

were  required  by  their  Divine  Master  to  inculcate, 
that  "  cotton  divinity  "  fell  into  disrepute,  nor  could 
the  plaudits  of  politicians  and  union  committees  save 
its  clerical  professors  from  forfeiting  the  esteem  and 
confidence  of  multitudes  of  Christian  people. 

But  Whig  politicians  and  cotton  Divines  are  not 
the  only  friends  of  the  fugitive  law  to  whom  it  has 
made  most  ungrateful  returns.  The  Democratic 
leaders,  bidding  against  the  Whigs  for  the  Presidency, 
were  most  vociferous  in  expressions  of  the  delight 
they  took  in  the  human  chase.  Democratic  Candi 
dates  for  the  Presidency,  to  the  goodly  number  of 
NINE,  gave  public  attestations  under  their  signs 
manual,  of  their  approbation  of  a  law  outraging  the 
principles  of  Democracy,  as  well  as  of  common  justice 
and  humanity.  Each  and  all  of  these  men  were  re 
jected,  and  the  slaveholders  selected  an  individual 
whom  they  were  well  assured  would  be  their  obsequi 
ous  tool,  but  who  had  offered  no  bribe  for  their  votes. 

But  did  the  slaveholders  themselves  gain  more  by 
this  law  than  their  northern  auxiliaries?  They,  in 
deed,  hailed  its  passage  as*  a  mighty  triumph.  The 
nation  had  given  them  a  law,  drafted  by  themselves, 

laying  down  the  rules  of  the  hunt,  as  best  suited  their 

2* 


34  THE  FUGITIVE 

pleasure  and  interest.  "Wealthy  and  influential  gentle 
men  in  our  commercial  cities,  out  of  compliment  to 
southern  electors,  became  amateur  huntsmen,  and  in 
New  York  and  Boston  the  cliase  was  pursued  with 
all  the  zeal  and  apparent  delight  that  could  have  been 
expected  in  Guinea  or  Virginia.  Slave-catching  was 
the  test,  at  once,  of  patriotism  and  gentility,  while 
sympathy  for  the  wretched  fugitive  was  the  mark  of 
vulgar  fanaticism.  The  north  was  humbled  in  the 
dust,  by  the  action  of  her  own  recreant  sons.  Every 
"good  citizen"  found  himself,  for  the  first  time  in  the 
history  of  mankind,  a  slave-catcher  by  law.  Every 
official,  appointed  by  a  slave-catching  judge,  was  in 
vested  with  the  authority  of  a  High  Sheriff,  being 
empowered  to  call  out  the  posse  comitatus,  and  compel 
the  neighbors  to  join  in  a  slave  chase.  Well,  indeed, 
might  the  slaveholders  rejoice  and  make  merry; — 
well,  indeed,  in  the  insolence  of  triumph,  might  they 
command  the  people  of  the  north  to  hold  their 
tongues  about  "the  peculiar  institution,"  under  pain 
of  their  sore  displeasure. 

But  amid  this  slavery  jubilee,  a  woman's  heart  was 
Swelling  and  heaving  with  indignant  sorrow  at  the 
outrages  offered  to  God  and  man  by  the  fugitive 


SLAVE  ACT.  35 

law.  Her  pent  up  emotions  struggled  for  utterance, 
and  at  last,  as  if  moved  by  some  mighty  inspiration, 
and  in  all  the  fervor  of  Christian  love,  she  put  forth  a 
book  which  arrested  the  attention  of  the  WORLD.  A 
miracle  of  authorship,  this  book  attained,  within 
twelve  months;  a  circulation  without  a  parallel  in  the 
history  of  printing.  In  that  brief  space,  about  two 
millions  of  volumes  proclaimed,  in  the  languages  of 
civilization,  the  wrongs  of  the  slave  and  the  atrocities 
of  the  AMERICAN  FUGITIVE  LAW.  The  gaze  of  man 
kind  is  now  turned  upon  the  slaveholders  and  their 
northern  auxiliaries,  both  clerical  and  lay.  The  sub 
jects  of  European  despotisms  console  themselves  with 
the  grateful  conviction,  that  however  harsh  may  be 
their  own  governments,  they  make  no  approach  to  the 
baseness  or  to  the  cruelty  and  tyranny  of  the  "  pecu 
liar  institution"  of  the  Model  Kepublic.* 

*  A  late  American  traveller,  in  Germany,  invited  to  an  evening 
party  at  the  house  of  a  Professor,  attempted  to  compliment  the  com 
pany  by  expressing  his  indignation  at  the  oppression  which  "  the  dear 
old  German  fatherland "  suffered  at  the  hands  of  its  rulers.  The 
American's  proffer  red  sympathy  was  coldly  received.  "We  admit," 
was  the  reply,  u  that  there  is  much  wrong  here,  but  we  do  not  admit 
the  right  of  your  country  to  rebuke  it.  There  is  a  system  now  with 
you,  worse  than  anything  which  we  know  of  tyranny — your  SLAVERY. 
It  is  a  disgrace  and  blot  on  your  free  government  and  on  a  Christian, 
State.  We  have  nothing  in  Russia  or  Hungary  which  is  so  degrading, 


36  THE  FUGITIVE 

One  slaveholder,  together  with  the  cotton  men  of 
the  north,  fretted  and  vexed  by  their  sudden  and  un 
enviable  notoriety,  foolishly  attempted  to  obviate  the 
impressions  made  by  the  book,  by  denouncing  it  as  a 
lying  fiction.  Nay,  one  of  the  most  affecting  illustra 
tions  of  pure  and  undefiled  Christianity  that  ever  pro 
ceeded  from  an  uninspired  pen,  was  gravely  declared, 
by  an  organ  of  cotton  divinity,  to  be  an  ANTI-CHRIS 
TIAN  book.*  Truly,  indeed,  the  wisdom  of  man  is 


and  we  have  nothing  which  so  crushes  the  mind.  And  more  than 
this,  we  hear  you  have  now  a  LAW,  just  passed  by  your  National  As 
sembly,  which  would  disgrace  the  cruel  code  of  the  Czar.  We  hear 
of  free  men  and  women,  hunted  like  dogs  on  your  mountains,  and  sent 
back,  without  trial,  to  bondage  worse  than  our  serfs  have  ever  known. 
We  have,  in  Europe,  many  excuses  in  ancient  evils  and  deep-laid 
prejudices,  but  you,  the  young  and  free  people,  in  this  age,  to  be 
passing  again,  afresh,  such  measures  of  unmitigated  wrong !" — Homv 
life  in  Germany,  by  Charles  Loving  Brace.  Mr.  Brace  honestly 
adds :  "  Imust  say  that  the  blood  tingled  to  my  cheek  with  shame,  as  he 
spoke" 

*  "  "We  have  read  the  book,  and  regard  it  as  Anti-Christian,  on  the 
same  grounds  that  the  chronicle  regards  it  decidedly  anti  ministerial." 
— New  York  Observer,  September  22,  1852. — Editorial.  The  Bishop 
of  Rome  also  regards  the  book  as  Anti-  Christian,  and  has  forbidden 
],is  subjects  to  read  it.  On  the  other  hand,  the  clergy  of  Great 
Britain  differ  most  widely  from  the  reverend  gentlemen  of  the 
"  Observer  "  and  the  Vatican,  in  their  estimate  of  the  character  of 
the  book.  Said  Dr.  Wardlaw,  who  on  this  subject  may  be  regarded 
as  the  representative  of  the  Protestant  Divines  of  Europe  :  "  He 
who  can  read  it  without  the  breathings  of  devotion,  must,  if  he  call 
himself  a  Christian,  have  a  Christianity  as  unique  and  questionable  as 
Lis  humanity." 


SLAVE  ACT.  37 

foolishness  with  God.  "  He  disappointeth  the  de 
vices  of  the  crafty." 

Branded  with  falsehood  and  impiety,  the  author 
was  happily  put  on  her  trial  before  the  civilized  world. 
She  collected,  arranged,  and  gave  to  the  press,  a  mass 
of  unimpeachable  documents,  consisting  of  laws, 
judicial  decisions,  trials,  confessions  of  slaveholders, 
advertisements  from  southern  papers,  and  testimonies 
of  eye-witnesses.  The  proof  was  conclusive  and  over 
whelming  that  the  picture  she  had  drawn  of  Ameri 
can  slavery  was  unfaithful,  only  because  the  coloring 
was  faint,  and  wanted  the  crimson  dye  of  the  original. 
A  verdict  of  not  guilty  of  exaggeration  has  been  ren 
dered  by  acclamation. 

It  has  long  been  the  standing  refuge  of  the  slave 
holders,  that  northern  men  and  Europeans,  in  con 
demning  slavery,  were  passing  judgment  against  an 
institution  of  which  they  were  ignorant.  The  "  pecu 
liar  institution"  was  represented  as  some  great  mys 
tery  which  could  not  be  understood  beyond  the  slave 
region.  Thanks  to  the  fugitive  law,  it  has  led  to  the 
construction  of  a  "  Icey"  which  has  unlocked  our  Ke- 
publican  bastile,  thrown  open  to  the  sunlight  its  hid 
eous  dungeons,  and  exposed  the  various  instruments  of 


88  THE  FUGITIVE 

torture  for  subjecting  the  soul,  as  well  as  the  body, 
to  hopeless  and  unresisting  bondage.  The  iniquity 
of  our  cherished  institution  is  no  longer  a  MYSTERY. 
All  Christendom  is  now  made  familiar  with  it,  and  is 
sending  forth  a  cry  of  indignant  remonstrance  and  of 
taunting  scorn.  Such  is  the  suppression  of  anti- 
slavery  agitation  given  to  the  slaveholders  by  their 
northern  friends — such  the  strength  imparted  by  the 
fugitive  slave  law  to  the  system  of  human  bondage. 
How  applicable  to  the  inventors  and  supporters  of 
that  statute  are  the  words  of  David,  in  regard  to  some 
politician  of  his  own  day:  "Behold  he  travaileth 
with  iniquity,  and  hath  conceived  mischief,  and 
brought  forth  falsehood.  He  made  a  pit,  and  digged 
it,  and  is  fallen  into  the  ditch  which  he  made.  His 
mischief  shall  return  upon  his  OAvn  head,  and  his 
violent  dealing  shall  come  down  upon  his  own 
pate ;"  and  then  he  adds,  "  I  will  praise  the  Lord." 
So  also  let  the  Christian  bless  and  magnify  HIM,  who 
by  his  infinite  wisdom  brings  good  out  of  evil,  and  in 
the  case  of  the  fugitive  law,  HATH  CAUSED  THE  WEATH 

OF  MAN  TO  PRAISE  HlM. 

But  there  is  still  a  remainder  of  wrath.     The  law  is 
still  on  the  Statute  Book,  and  hungry  politicians  are 


SLAVE  ACT.  39 

promising  that  there  it  sliall  ever  remain  ;  and  terrible 
threats  come  from  the  south,  of  the  ruin  that  shall 
overwhelm  the  free  States,  should  the  law  be  repealed 
or  rendered  less  abominable  than  at  present.  Yet,  ii, 
spite  of  northern  promises,  and  professions  of  security, 
and  in  spite  of  the  great  swelling  words  of  the  dealers 
in  human  flesh,  the  practical,  like  the  moral  working 
of  the  law,  has  been  very  far  from  what  its  authors 
anticipated.  The  law  was  passed  the  18th  Septem 
ber,  1850,  and,  in  two  years  and  nine  months,  not 
fifty  slaves  have  boon  recovered  under  it — not  an 
average  of  EIGHTEEN  slaves  a  year!  Poor  compen 
sation  this  to  the  slaveholders  for  making  themselves 
a  bye-word,  a  proverb,  and  a  reproach  to  Christen 
dom — for  giving  a  new  and  mighty  impulse  to  aboli 
tion,  and  for  deepening  the  detestation  felt  by  the 
true  friends  of  liberty  and  humanity,  for  an  institu 
tion  asking  and  obtaining  for  its  protection  a  law  so 
repugnant  to  the  moral  sense  of  mankind.  But  while 
this  artful  and  wicked  law,  with  its  army  of  ten- dollar 
judges,  and  marshals,  and  constables,  and  office- 
seekers,  and  politicians,  with  the  President  and  his 
cabinet  all  striving  to  enforce  it,  "  to  the  fullest  ex 
tent,"  has  restored  to  their  masters  not  eighteen  slaves 


40  THE  FUGITIVE. 

a  year ;  the  escapes  from  the  prison  house  have  prob 
ably  never  been  more  numerous,  nor  the  aid  and 
sympathy  afforded  by  Christians  more  abundant. 
Thus  has  THE  REMAINDER  OF  WRATH  BEEN  RE 
STRAINED.  In  the  marvellous  conversion  of  this 
odious  law  into  an  anti-slavery  agency,  let  us  find  a 
new  motive  for  unceasing  and  unwearied  agitation 
against  slavery,  and  a  new  pledge  of  ultimate  triumph. 


BEDFORD,  June  1853. 


C|e  jsije  of 


1  QUAINT  old  writer  describes  a  class  of  persons 
*•*-  who  have  souls  so  very  small  that  "  500  of  them 
could  dance  at  once  upon  the  point  of  a  cambric 
needle."  These  wee  people  are  often  wrapped  up  in 
a  lump  of  the  very  coarsest  of  human  clay,  ponder 
ous  enough  to  give  them  the  semblance  of  full-grown 
men  and  women.  A  grain  of  mustard  seed,  buried  in 
the  heart  of  a  mammoth  pumpkin,  would  be  no  com 
parison  to  the  little  soul,  sheathed  in  its  full  grown 
body.  The  contrast  in  size  would  be  insufficient  to 
convey  an  adequate  impression  ;  and  the  tiny  soul  has 
little  of  the  mustard  seed  spiciness. 

Yet  if  this  mass  of  flesh  is  only  wrapped  up  in  a 
white  skin,  even  though  it  is  not  nearly  thick  enough 
to  conceal  the  grossness  and  coarseness  of  the  veiled 
material,  the  poor  "feeble  folk"  within  will  fancy 


42  THE  SIZE  OF  SOULS. 

that  lie  really  belongs  to  the  natural  variety  of  aristo 
cratic  humanity.  He  has  the  good  taste  to  refuse 
condescension  sufficient  to  allow  him  to  eat  at  table 
with  a  Frederick  Douglass,  a  Samuel  R.  Ward,  or  a 
Dr.  Pennington.  Poor  light  little  soul !  It  can 
borrow  a  pair  of  flea's  legs,  and,  hopping  up  to  the 
magnificent  lights  of  public  opinion,  sit  looking  down 
upon  the  whole  colored  race  in  sovereign  contempt. 

Take  off  the  thin  veneering  of  a  white  skin,  substi 
tute  in  its  stead  the  real  African  ebony,  and  then 
place  him  side  by  side  with  one  of  the  above-men 
tioned  men.  Measure  intellect  with  intellect — elo 
quence  with  eloquence !  Mental  and  moral  infancy 
stand  abashed  in  the  presence  of  nature's  noblemen ! 

So,  mere  complexion  is  elevated  above  character. 
Sensible  men  and  women  are  not  ashamed  of  the  ac 
knowledgment.  The  fact  has  a  popular  endorse 
ment.  People  sneer  at  you  if  you  are  not  ready  to 
comprehend  the  fitness  of  the  thing.  If  you  cannot 
weigh  mind  in  a  balance  with  a  moiety  of  coloring 
matter,  and  still  let  the  mind  be  found  wanting,  ex 
pect,  in  America,  to  lose  cast  yourself  for  want  of 
approved  taste. 

If  sin  is  capable  of   being  made  to   look  mean, 


THE  SIZE  OF  SOULS.  43 

narrow,  contemptible — to  exhibit  itself  in  its  charac 
ter  of  thorough,  unmitigated  bitterness — it  is  when 
exhibited  in  the  light  of  our  "peculiar"  prejudices. 
Mind,  Godlike,  immortal  mind,  with  its  burden  of 
deathless  thought,  its  comprehensive  and  discriminat 
ing  reason,  its  brilliant  wit,  its  genial  humor,  its 
store-house  of  thrilling  memories — a  voice  of  mingled 
power  and  pathos,  words  burning  with  the  uncon- 
suming  fire  of  genius,  virtues  gathering  in  ripened 
beauty  upon  a  brave  heart,  and  moral  integrity  pre 
eminent  over  all  else — all  this  could  not  make  a  black 
man  the  social  equal  of  a  white  coxcomb,  even  though 
his  brain  were  as  blank  as  white  paper,  and  his  heart 
as  black  as  darkness  concentrated.  May  heaven  al 
leviate  our  undiluted  stupidity ! 

ANTOINETTE  L.  BROWN. 


f  incent 


[Fragments  of  a  poem  hitherto  unpublished,  upon  a  revolt  of  the 
free  persons  of  color,  in  the  island  of  St.  Domingo  (now  Hayti), 
in  the  years  1790-1.] 

THERE  is,  at  times,  an  evening  sky — 

The  twilight's  gift — of  sombre  hue, 
All  checkered  wild  and  gorgeously 

With  streaks  of  crimson,  gold  and  blue  ; — 
A  sky  that  strikes  the  soul  with  awe, 

And,  though  not  brilliant  as  the  sheen, 
Which  in  the  east  at  morn  we  saw, 

Is  far  more  glorious,  I  ween ; — 
So  glorious  that,  when  night  hath  come 
And  shrouded  it  in  deepest  gloom, 
We  turn  aside  with  inward  pain 
And  pray  to  see  that  sky  again. 
Such  sight  is  like  the  struggle  made 
When  freedom  bids  unbare  the  blade, 


VINCENT  OGE.  45 

And  calls  from  every  mountain- glen — 

From  every  hill — from  every  plain,    . 
Her  chosen  ones  to  stand  like  men, 

And  cleanse  their  souls  from  every  stain 
Which  wretches,  steeped  in  crime  and  blood, 
Have  cast  upon  the  form  of  God. 
Though  peace  like  morning's  golden  hue, 

With  blooming  groves  and  waving  fields, 
Is  mildly  pleasing  to  the  view, 

And  all  the  blessings  that  it  yields 
Are  fondly  welcomed  by  the  breast 

Which  finds  delight  in  passion's  rest, 
That  breast  with  joy  foregoes  them  all, 
While  listening  to  Freedom's  call. 
Though  red  the  carnage, — though  the  strife 
Be  filled  with  groans  of  parting  life, — 
Though  battle's  dark,  ensanguined  skies 
Give  echo  but  to  agonies — 

To  shrieks  of  wild  despairing, — 
We  willingly  repress  a  sigh — 
Nay,  gaze  with  rapture  in  our  eye, 
Whilst  "  FREEDOM  !"  is  the  rally-cry 

That  calls  to  deeds  of  daring. 


46  VINCENT  OGE. 

The  waves  dash  brightly  on  thy  shore, 

Fair  island  of  the  southern  seas  ! 
As  bright  in  joy  as  when  of  yore 

They  gladly  hailed  the  Genoese, — • 
That  daring  soul  who  gave  to  Spain 
A  world — last  trophy  of  her  reign  ! 
Basking  in  beauty,  thou  dost  seem 
A  vision  in  a  poet's  dream ! 
Thou  look'st  as  though  thou  claim'st  not  birth 
"With  sea  and  sky  and  other  earth, 
That  smile  around  thee  but  to  show 
Thy  beauty  in  a  brighter  glow, — 
That  are  unto  thee  as  the  foil 

Artistic  hands  have  featly  set 
Around  Golconda's  radiant  spoil, 

To  grace  some  lofty  coronet, — • 
A  foil  which  serves  to  make  the  gem 
The  glory  of  that  diadem  ! 

*«*•£#*** 

If  Eden  claimed  a  favored  haunt, 

Most  hallowed  of  that  blessed  ground, 

"Where  tempting  fiend  with  guileful  taunt 
A  resting-place  would  ne'er  have  found, — 


VINCENT  OGE.  47 

As  shadowing  it  well  might  seek 

The  loveliest  home  in  that  fair  isle, 
Which  in  its  radiance  seemed  to  speak 

As  to  the  charmed  doth  B  eauty's  smile, 
That  whispers  of  a  thousand  things 
For  which  words  find  no  picturings. 
Like  to  the  gifted  Greek  who  strove 

To  paint  a  crowning  work  of  art, 
And  form  his  ideal  Queen  of  Love, 

By  choosing  from  each  grace  a  part, 
Blending  them  in  one  beauteous  whole, 
To  charm  the  eye,  transfix  the  soul, 
And  hold  it  in  enraptured  fires, 
Such  as  a  dream  of  heaven  inspires, — 
So  seem  the  glad  waves  to  have  sought 

From  every  place  its  richest  treasure, 
And  borne  it  to  that  lovely  spot, 

To  found  thereon  a  home  of  pleasure  ;— 
A  home  where  balmy  airs  might  float 

Through  spicy  bower  and  orange  grove  ; 
Where  bright- winged  birds  might  turn  the  note 

Which  tells  of  pure  and  constant  love  ; 
Where  earthquake  stay  its  demon  force, 
And  hurricane  its  wrathful  course ; 


48  VINCENT  OGE. 

"Where  nymph  and  fairy  find  a  home, 

And  foot  of  spoiler  never  come. 

*        *        *        *        •»        -x-        *        * 

And  Oge  stands  mid  this  array 

Of  matchless  beauty,  but  his  brow 
Is  brightened  not  by  pleasure's  play ; 

He  stands  unmoved — nay,  saddened  now, 
As  doth  the  lorn  and  mateless  bird 
That  constant  mourns,  whilst  all  unheard, 
The  breezes  freighted  with  the  strains 
Of  other  songsters  sweep  the  plain, — 
That  ne'er  breathes  forth  a  joyous  note, 
Though  odors  on  the  zephyrs  float — 
The  tribute  of  a  thousand  bowers, 
Rich  in  their  store  of  fragrant  flowers. 
Yet  Oge's  was  a  mind,  that  joyed 

With  nature  in  her  every  mood, 
Whether  in  sunshine  unalloyed 

With  darkness,  or  in  tempest  rude  • 
And,  by  the  dashing  waterfall, 

Or  by  the  gently  flowing  river, 
Or  listening  to  the  thunder's  call, 

He'd  joy  away  his  life  forever. 
But  ah !  life  is  a  changeful  thing, 

And  pleasures  swiftly  pass  away, 


VINCENT  OaiL  49 

And  we  may  turn,  with  shuddering, 

From  what  we  sighed  for  yesterday. 
The  guest,  at  banquet-table  spread 
With  choicest  viands,  shakes  with  dread, 
Nor  heeds  the  goblet  bright  and  fair, 
Nor  tastes  the  dainties  rich  and  rare, 
Nor  bids  his  eye  with  pleasure  trace 
The  wreathed  flowers  that  deck  the  place, 
If  he  but  knows  there  is  a  draught 
Among  the  cordials,  that,  if  quaffed, 
Will  send  swift  poison  through  .his  veins. 

So  Oge  seems ;  nor  does  his  eye 
With  pleasure  view  the  flowery  plains, 

The  bounding  sea,  the  spangled  sky, 
As,  in  the  short  and  soft  twilight, 

The  stars  peep  brightly  forth  in  heaven, 
And  hasten  to  the  realms  of  night, 

As  handmaids  of  the  Even. 


The  loud  shouts  from  the  distant  town, 
Joined  in  with  nature's  gladsome  lay ; 
The  lights  went  glancing  up  and  down, 

Biv'ling  the  stars — nay,  seemed  as  they 
3 


50  VINCENT  OGE. 

Gould  stoop  to  claim,  in  their  high  home, 

A  sympathy  with  things  of  earth, 
And  had  from  their  bright  mansions  come. 

To  join  them  in  their  festal  mirth. 
For  the  land  of  the  Gaul  had  arose  in  its  might, 
And  swept  by  as  the  wind  of  a  wild,  wintry  night ; 
And  the  dreamings  of  greatness — the  phantoms  of 

power, 

Had  passed  in  its  breath  like  the  things  of  an  hour. 
Like  the  violet  vapors  that  brilliantly  play 
Eound  the  glass  of  the  chemist,  then  vanish  away, 
The  visions  of  grandeur  which  dazzlingly  shone, 
Had  gleamed  for  a  time,  and  all  suddenly  gone. 
And  the  fabric  of  ages — the  glory  of  kings, 
Accounted  most  sacred  mid  sanctified  things, 
Eeared  up  by  the  hero,  preserved  by  the  sage, 
And  drawn  out  in  rich  hues  on  the  chronicler's  page, 
Had  sunk  in  the  blast,  and  in  ruins  lay  spread, 
While  the  altar  of  freedom  was  reared  in  its  stead. 
And  a  spark  from  that   shrine  in  the  free-roving 

breeze, 

Had  crossed  from  fair  France  to  that  isle  of  the  seas ; 
And  a  flame  was  there  kindled  which  fitfully  shone 
Mid  the  shout  of  the  free,  and  the  dark  captive's  groan ; 


VINCENT  OGE.  61 

As,  mid  contrary  breezes,  a  torch-light  will  play, 
Now  streaming  up  brightly — now  dying  away. 
#-5f*         •*#•*#•* 
The  reptile  slumbers  in  the  stone, 

Nor  dream  we  of  his  pent  abode  ;• 
The  heart  conceals  the  anguished  groan, 
With  all  the  poignant  griefs  that  goad 

The  brain  to  madness ; 
"Within  the  hushed  volcano's  breast, 

The  molten  fires  of  ruin  lie  ; — • 
Thus  human  passions  seem  at  rest, 
And  on  the  brow  serene  and  high, 
Appears  no  sadness. 
But  still  the  fires  are  raging  there, 
Of  vengeance,  hatred,  and  despair; 
And  when  they  burst,  they  wildly  pour 

Their  lava  flood  of  woe  and  fear, 
And  in  one  short — one  little  hour, 

Avenge  the  wrongs  of  many  a  year. 
####-jf#** 

And  Oge  standeth  in  his  hall ; 

But  now  he  standeth  not  alone ; — 
A  brother 's  there,  and  friends ;  and  all 

Are  kindred  spirits  with  his  own ; 


52  VINCENT  OGE. 

For  mind  will  join  with  kindred  mind, 
As  matter's  with  its  like  combined. 
They  speak  of  wrongs  they  had  received — 
Of  freemen,  of  their  rights  bereaved ; 
And  as  they  pondered  o'er  the  thought 
Which  in  their  minds  so  madly  wrought, 
Their  eyes  gleamed  as  the  lightning's  flash, 
Their  words  seemed  as  the  torrent's  dash 
That  falleth,  with  a  low,  deep  sound, 
Into  some  dark  abyss  profound, — 
A  sullen  sound  that  threatens  more 
Than  other  torrents'  louder  roar. 
Ah  !  they  had  borne  well  as  they  might, 

Such  wrongs  as  freemen  ill  can  bear ; 
And  they  had  urged  both  day  and  night, 

In  fitting  words,  a  freeman's  prayer ; 
And  when  the  heart  is  filled  with  grief, 

For  wrongs  of  all  true  souls  accurst, 
In  action  it  must  seek  relief, 

Or  else,  o'ercharged,  it  can  but  burst. 
Why  blame  we  them,  if  they  oft  spake 
Words  that  were  fitted  to  awake 
The  soul's  high  hopes — its  noblest  parts — 
The  slumbering  passions  of  brave  hearts, 


VINCENT  OGE.  53 

And  send  them  as  the  simoom's  breath, 
Upon  a  work  of  woe  and  death  ? 
And  woman's  voice  is  heard  amid 

The  accents  of  that  warrior  train ; 
And  when  has  woman's  voice  e'er  bid, 

And  man  could  from  its  hest  refrain  ? 
Hers  is  the  power  o'er  his  soul 

That  .'s  never  wielded  by  another, 
And  she  doth  claim  this  soft  control 

As  sister,  mistress,  wife,  or  mother. 
So  sweetly  doth  her  soft  voice  float 

O'er  hearts  by  guilt  or  anguish  riven, 
It  seemeth  as  a  magic  note 

Struck  from  earth's  harps  by  hands  of  heaven. 
And  there  's  the  mother  of  Oge, 

"Who  with  firm  voice,  and  steady  heart, 
And  look  unaltered,  well  can  play 

The  Spartan  mother's  hardy  part ; 
And  send  her  sons  to  battle-fields, 

And  bid  them  come  in  triumph  home, 
Or  stretched  upon  their  bloody  shields, 

Kather  than  bear  the  bondman's  doom. 
"  Go  forth,"  she  said,  "  to  victory ; 
Or  else,  go  bravely  forth  t®  die  I 


54  VINCENT  OGE. 

Go  forth  to  fields  where  glory  floats 
In  every  trumpet's  cheering  notes ! 
Go  forth,  to  where  a  freeman's  death 
Glares  in  each  cannon's  fiery  breath ! 
Go  forth  and  triumph  o'er  the  foe  ; 
Or  failing  that,  with  pleasure  go 
To  molder  on  the  battle-plain, 
Freed  ever  from  the  tyrant's  chain ! 
But  if  your  hearts  should  craven  prove, 
Forgetful  of  your  zeal — your  love 
For  rights  and  franchises  of  men, 
My  heart  will  break ;  but  even  then, 
Whilst  bidding  life  and  earth  adieu, 
This  be  the  prayer  I'll  breathe  for  you : 
'  Passing  from  guilt  to  misery, 
May  this  for  aye  your  portion  be, — 
A  life,  dragged  out  beneath  the  rod — 
An  end,  abhorred  of  man  and  God — 
As  monument,  the  chains  you  nurse — 
As  epitaph,  your  mother's  curse !'  " 
****** 
A  thousand  hearts  are  breathing  high, 
And  voices  shouting  "  Victory  !" 
Which  soon  will  hush  in  death ; 


VINCENT  OGE.  55 

The  trumpet  clang  of  joy  that  speaks, 
Will  soon  be  drowned  in  the  shrieks 
Of  the  wounded's  stifling  breath, 
The  tyrant's  plume  in  dust  lies  low — 
Th'  oppressed  has  triumphed  o'er  his  foe. 
But  ah  !  the  lull  in  the  furious  blast 
May  whisper  not  of  ruin  past ; 
It  may  tell  of  the  tempest  hurrying  on, 
To  complete  the  work  the  blast  begun. 
With  the  voice  of  a  Syren,  it  may  whisp'ringly  tell 

Of  a  moment  of  hope  in  the  deluge  of  rain  ; 
And  the  shout  of  the  free  heart  may  rapt'rously  swell, 

While  the  tyrant  is  gath'ring  his  power  again. 
Though  the  balm  of  the  leech  may  soften  the  smart, 

It  never  can  turn  the  swift  barb  from  its  aim ; 
And  thus  the  resolve  of  the  true  freeman's  heart 
May  not  keep  back  his  fall,  though  it  free  it  from 

shame. 

Though  the  hearts  of  those  heroes  all  well  could  accord 
With  freedom's  most  noble  and  loftiest  word ; 
Their  virtuous  strength  availeth  them  nought 
With  the  power  and  skill  that  the  tyrant  brought. 
Gray  veterans  trained  in  many  a  field 
Where  the  fate  of  nations  with  blood  was  sealed, 


56  VINCENT  OGBJ. 

In  Italia's  vales — on  the  shores  of  the  Ehine — 
Where  the  plains  of  fair  France  give  birth  to  the  vine — 
Where  the  Tagus,  the  Ebro,  go  dancing  along, 
Made  glad  in  their  course  by  the  Muleteer's  song — 
All  these  were  poured  down  in  the  pride  of  their 

might, 

On  the  land  of  Oge,  in  that  terrible  fight. 
Ah  !  dire  was  the  conflict,  and  many  the  slain, 
Who  slept  the  last  sleep  on  that  red  battle-pLiin  ! 
The  flash  of  the  cannon  o'er  valley  and  height 
Danced  like  the  swift  fires  of  a  northern  night, 
Or  the  quivering  glare  which  leaps  forth  as  a  token 
That  the  King  of  the  Storm  from   his  cloud-throne 

has  spoken. 

And  oh !  to  those  heroes  how  welcome  the  fate 
Of  Sparta's  brave  sons  in  Thermopylae's  strait ; 
With  what  ardor  of  soul  they  then  would  have  given 
Their  last  look  at  earth  for  a  long  glance  at  heaven  1 
Their  lives  to  their  country — their'  backs  to  the  sod — 
Their  heart's  blood  to  the  sword,  and  their  souls  to 

their  God  I 

But  alas !  although  many  lie  silent  and  slain, 
More    blest    are    they  far  than  those  clanking  the 
chain. 


VINCENT  OGE.  57 

In  the  hold  of  the  tyrant,  debarred  from  the  day  ; — 
And  among  these  sad  captives  is  Yincent  Oge  ! 


Another  day's  bright  sun  has  risen, 

And  shines  upon  the  insurgent's  prison  ; 

Another  night  has  slowly  passed, 

And  Oge  smiles,  for  'tis  the  last 

He'll  droop  beneath  the  tyrant's  power — 

The  galling  chains !     Another  hour, 

And  answering  to  the  jailor's  call, 

He  stands  within  the  Judgment  Hall. 

They've  gathered  there  ;  —they  who  have  pressed 

Their  fangs  into  the  soul  distressed, 

To  pain  its  passage  to  the  tomb 

With  mock'ry  of  a  legal  doom. 

They've  gathered  there  ; — they  who  have  stood 

Firmly  and  fast  in  hour  of  blood, — • 

"Who've  seen  the  lights  of  hope  all  die, 

As  stars  fade  from  a  morning  sky, — 

They've  gathered  there,  in  that  dark  hour — 

The  latest  of  the  tyrant's  power,— 

An  hour  that  speaketh  of  the  day 

Which  never  more  shall  pass  away, — 
3* 


58  VINCENT  OGE. 

The  glorious  day  beyond  the  grave, 
Which  knows  no  master — owns  no  slave. 
And  there,  too,  are  the  rack — the  wheel — 
The  torturing  screw — the  piercing  steel, — 
Grim  powers  of  death  all  crusted  o'er 
With  other  victims'  clotted  gore. 
Frowning  they  stand,  and  in  their  cold, 
Silent  solemnity,  unfold 
The  strong  one's  triumph  o'er  the  weak — 
The  awful  groan — the  anguished  shriek — 
The  unconscious  mutt'rings  of  despair — 
The  strained  eyeball's  idiot  stare — 
The  hopeless  clench — the  quiv'ring  frame— 
The  martyr's  death — the  despot's  shame. 
The  rack — the  tyrant — victim, — all 
Are  gathered  in  that  Judgment  Hall. 
Draw  we  the  veil,  for  'tis  a  sight 
But  friends  can  gaze  on  with  delight. 
The  sunbeams  on  the  rack  that  play, 
For  sudden  terror  flit  away 
From  this  dread  work  of  war  and  death, 
As  angels  do  with  quickened  breath, 
From  some  dark  deed  of  deepest  sin, 
Ere  they  have  drunk  its  spirit  in. 


VINCENT  OGE.  59 

******** 

No  mighty  host  with  banners  flying, 

Seems  fiercer  to  a  conquered  foe, 
Than  did  those  gallant  heroes  dying, 

To  those  who  gloated  o'er  their  woe  ; — 
Grim  tigers,  who  have  seized  their  prey, 
Then  turn  and  shrink  abashed  away ; 
And,  coming  back  and  crouching  nigh, 
Quail  'neath  the  flashing  of  the  eye, 
Which  tells  that  though  the  life  has  started, 
The  will  to  strike  has  not  departed. 
******** 
Sad  was  your  fate,  heroic  band  ! 
Yet  mourn  we  not,  for  yours'  the  stand 
Which  will  secure  to  you  a  fame, 
That  never  dieth,  and  a  name 
That  will,  in  coming  ages,  be 
A  signal  word  for  Liberty. 
Upon  the  slave's  o'erclouded  sky, 

Your  gallant  actions  traced  the  bow, 
Which  whispered  of  deliv'rance  nigh — 

The  meed  of  one  decisive  blow. 
Thy  coming  fame,  Oge  !  is  sure  ; 
Thy  name  with  that  of  L'Ouverture, 


60  VINCENT  OGE. 

And  all  the  noble  souls  that  stood 
With  both  of  you,  in  times  of  blood, 
Will  live  to  be  the  tyrant's  fe#r — 
Will  live,  the  sinking  soul  to  cheer ! 


SYRACUSE,  N.  Y.,  August  31st,  1853. 


€|e  fato  of  f ih% 

"FREEDOM,  under  the  proper  restraint  of  Law  and 
Duty,  is  apolitical  good,  for  that  which  is  morally 
wrong  can  never  be  politically  right. 

Fine  moral  sense  will  pour  indignation  on  oppress 
ion,  as  well  as  applause  on  worth.  It  will  give 
sympathy  to  the  afflicted,  and  treasures  to  relieve 
the  needy.  Such  a  spirit  will  exalt  a  nation,  and 
command  the  respect  of  other  nations.  But  general 
freedom  can  only  flourish  beneath  the  undisturbed 
dominion  of  equitable  laws. 

Governments  should  aim  at  the  welfare  of  the  peo 
ple,  and  that  government  which  secures  the  person, 
the  property,  the  liberty,  the  lives  of  dutiful  subjects, 
and  thus  makes  the  common  good  the  rule  and  meas 
ure  of  its  government,  will  receive  a  blessing  from 
God 


62 


THE  LAW  OF  LIBEETY. 


Let  America  act  on  her  own  avowed  principles, 
that  every  man  is  born  free,  and  she  will  be  exalted, 
when  tyrannical,  persecuting,  slaveholding  nations 
will  come  to  nought. 


H.  CANON  OF  WORCESTER. 


f  \t  ^toiftness  of  Cime  in 

FROM   THE   KNABEN   WUNDERHOEN.      (B.  I.  p.  73,  et 

THE  general  at  Grosswardein 
Had  once  a  little  daughter  fine  :  — 
Her  name  was  called  Theresia,  — 
God-loving,  modest,  chaste  and  fair  : 

And  from  her  childhood  up  was  she 
Most  deeply  given  to  piety, 
With  prayers  and  music's  solemn  tone 
She  ever  praised  the  Three-in-One. 


Whene'er  she  heard  of  Jesus'  name, 
Her  love  and  joy  flamed  brighter  flame  ; 
Jesus  to  serve  she  makes  her  cross, 
Devotes  herself  to  be  his  Spouse. 

A  noble  lord  came  her  to  woo, 
Her  father  gave  consent  thereto  ; 


64:  THE  SWIFTNESS 

The  mother  to  her  daughter  said, — 

"  Dear  child,  this  man  thou'lt  surely  wed." 

The  daughter  said,  "  Mother  of  me 
That  can  and  must  not  ever  be. 
My  heart  is  fixed  on  higher  worth, 
A  Bridegroom  he  not  of  this  earth." 

The  mother  then,  "  My  daughter  dear, 

Ah,  do  not  contradict  us  here, 

Thy  sire  and  I  we  both  are  old, 

And  God  has  blessed  our  toil  with  gold." 

Thereat  the  maid  began  to  weep, 
"  I  have  a  lover  beloved  so  deep, 
To  him  I've  made  my  promise  down  ; 
I'll  wear  for  him  a  virgin  crown." 

Thereat  the  sire,  "  This  must  not  be, 

My  child  away  this  phantasy, 

Where  wilt  thou  dwell  when  past  thy  prime  ? 

We  both  are  old,  far  gone  in  time!" 

The  noble  lord  again  draws  near, 
And  even  the  bridal  feast  prepare, 


or  TIME  IN  GOD. 

For  all  things  soon  were  ready  made, — 
But  sorrow  veils  the  maiden's  head. 

Quick  to  the  garden,  goeth  she, 
There  falls  she  down  upon  her  knee, 
Out  from  her  heart  her  prayer  she  poured 
To  Jesus  her  espoused  Lord. 

She  lay  before  him  on  her  face, 
And  sighed  with  sighs  to  win  his  grace. 
The  dearest  Christ  the  clouds  unrolled, 
"Look  up,"  said  he,  "my  maid  behold! 

"  Thou  yet  shalt  be,  in  briefest  time, 
In  heaven  with  me  in  joy's  full  prime, 
And  mid  the  lovely  angels  there, 
In  full  delight  and  joy  appear." 

He  greets  the  maiden  wondrous  fair : 
She  stands  before  him  without  fear, 
Down  cast  her  eyes  with  modest  grace,— 
She  felt  the  beauty  of  his  face. 

Then  speaks  the  youth,  the  heavenly  King, 
And  weds  her  with  a  golden  ring ; — 


66  THE  SWIFTNESS 

"Look  there,  my  bride  !  Love's  pledge  for  thee, 
Oh,  wear  it  on  thy  hand  for  me." 

The  maiden  then  sweet  vows  took, 
"  My  Bridegroom  dear !"  to  Christ  she  spoke, 
"  Herewith  art  thou  firm  wed  to  me, 
Henceforth  my  heart  loves  none  but  thee." 

Then  walked  abroad  the  married  pair, 
And  gathered  many  a  blossom  fair ; — 
Jesus  thus  spake  to  her  anew  : — 
"  Come,  and  my  lovely  garden  view  I" 

He  took  the  maiden  by  the  hand, 
And  led  her  from  her  fatherland, 
Unto  his  Father's  garden  fair 
"Where  many  beauteous  blossoms  are. 

The  maiden  now  with  joy  may  win 
The  precious  fruits  which  grow  therein  ; 
But  mortal  fancy  cannot  know 
The  noble  fruits  therein  which  grow. 

She  hears  such  music  and  such  song, 
That  length,  of  time  seems  nothing  long, 


OF  TIME  IN  GOD.  67 

And  silver-white  the  brooklets  there 
Flow  ever  on  so  pure  and  fair. 

The  youth  again  addressed  the  maid, 
"  My  garden  here  thou  hast  surveyed. 
I  will  again  conduct  thee  home. 
To  thine  own  land,  the  time  is  come." 

The  maiden  turns  with  grief  away, 

Comes  to  the  town  without  delay, 

The  watchman  calls,  "  Stand,  who  goes  there?" 

She  says,  "  I  to  my  father  must  repair !" 

"  "Who  is  your  father,  then,"  quoth  he, 
"  The  general,"  she  answers  free. 
The  watchman  then  replied  and  smiled, 
"  The  general ; — he  has  no  child." 

But  by  her  garments  all  men  see, 

The  maiden  is  of  high  degree. 

The  watchman  then  conducts  her  straight 

Before  the  guardians  of  the  State. 

The  maid  declares  and  stands  thereto, 
The  general  is  her  father  true. 


68  THE  SWIFTNESS 

And  but  two  hours  have  scarcely  flown, 
Since  she  went  out  to  walk  alone. 

The  guardians  saw  a  wonder  great, 
And  asked  where  she  had  been  of  late  ; 
Her  father's  name,  his  power  and  race, 
That  she  must  tell  them  face  to  face. 

They  searched  the  ancient  records  through, 
And  this  they  found  was  written  true, 
That  once  was  lost  a  bride  so  fine 
From  this  same  city  Grosswardein. 

The  length  of  time  they  came  to  try, 
And  sixteen  years  they  find  passed  by ; 
And  yet  the  maid  was  fresh  and  fair, 
As  when  first  in  her  fifteenth  year. 

Thereby  the  guardians  understand 
This  is  the  work  of  God's  own  hand. 
They  bring  the  maiden  food  to  eat, 
She  turns  white  as  a  winding-sheet. 

"  Of  earthly  things  I  wish  for  nought," 
Cries  she  i  "  but  let  a.  priest  be  brought, 


OF    TIME    IN    GrOD. 

That  I  may  take  ere  death  is  sent, 
The  body  true  in  sacrament. 

As  soon  as  this  last  act  was  done — 
And  many  a  Christian  looked  thereon 
Free  from  all  pain  and  mortal  smart, 
Then  ceased  to  beat  that  holy  heart. 


ftisit  of  it  Jugitibc  j^lafre  to  \\t 

of 


AN  a  beautiful  morning  in  the  montli  of  June, 
while  strolling  about  Trafalgar  Square.  I  was  at 
tracted  to  the  base  of  the  Nelson  column,  where  a 
crowd  was  standing  gazing  at  the  bas-relief  represen 
tations  of  some  of  the  great  naval  exploits  of  the  man 
whose  statue  stands  on  the  top  of  the  pillar.  The 
death-  wound  which  the  hero  received  on  board  the 
Victory,  and  his  being  carried  from  the  ship's  deck  by 
his  companions,  is  executed  with  great  skill.  Being 
no  admirer  of  warlike  heroes,  I  was  on  the  point  of 
turning  away,  when  I  perceived  among  the  figures 
(which  were  as  large  as  life)  a  full-blooded  African, 
with  as  white  a  set  of  teeth  as  ever  I  had  seen,  and 
all  the  other  peculiarities  of  feature  that  distinguish 
that  race  from  the  rest  of  the  human  family,  with 


WlLBERFORCE'S    GrRAVE.  71 

musket  in  hand  and  a  dejected  countenance,  which, 
told  that  he  had  been  in  the  heat  of  the  battle,  and 
shared  with  the  other  soldiers  the  pain  in  the  loss  of 
their  commander.  However,  as  soon  as  I  saw  my 
sable  brother,  I  felt  more  at  home,  and  remained 
longer  than  I  had  intended.  Here  was  the  Negro,  as 
black  a  man  as  was  ever  imported  from  the  coast  of 
Africa,  represented  in  his  proper  place  by  the  side  of 
Lord  Nelson,  on  one  of  England's  proudest  monu 
ments.  How  different,  thought  I,  was  the  position 
assigned  to  the  colored  man  on  similar  monuments  in 
the  United  States.  Some  years  since,  while  standing 
under  the  shade  of  the  monument  erected  to  the  mem 
ory  of  the  brave  Americans  who  fell  at  the  storm 
ing  of  Fort  Griswold,  Connecticut,  I  felt  a  degree  of 
pride  as  I  beheld  the  names  of  two  Africans  who  had 
fallen  in  the  fight,  yet  I  was  grieved  but  not  sur 
prised  to  find  their  names  colonized  off,  and  a  line 
drawn  between  them  and  the  whites.  This  was  in 
keeping  with  American  historical  injustice  to  its 
colored  heroes. 

The  conspicuous  place  assigned  to  this  represen 
tative  of  an  injured  race,  by  the  side  of  one  of  Eng 
land's  greatest  heroes,  brought  vividly  before  my  eye 


72  A  FUGITIVE  SLAVE  AT 

the  wrongs  of  Africa  and  the  philanthropic  man  of 
Great  Britain,  who  had  labored  so  long  and  so  suc 
cessfully  for  the  abolition  of  the  slave  trade,  and  the 
emancipation  of  the  slaves  of  the  West  Indies ;  and 
I  at  once  resolved  to  pay  a  visit  to  the  grave  of  Wil- 
berforce. 

A  half  an  hour  after,  I  entered  Westminster  Abbey, 
at  Poets'  Corner,  and  proceeded  in  search  of  the 
patriot's  tomb ;  I  had,  however,  gone  but  a  few  steps, 
when  I  found  myself  in  front  of  the  tablet  erected  to 
the  memory  of  Granville  Sharpe,  by  the  African 
Institution  of  London,  in  1816  ;  upon  the  marble  was 
a  long  inscription,  recapitulating  many  of  the  deeds 
of  this  benevolent  man,  and  from  which  I  copied  the 
following: — "He  aimed  to  rescue  his  native  country 
from  the  guilt  and  inconsistency  of  employing  the 
arm  of  freedom  to  rivet  the  fetters  of  bondage,  and 
establish  for  the  negro  race,  in  the  person  of  Somerset, 
the  long-disputed  rights  of  human  nature.  Having  in 
this  glorious  cause  triumphed  over  the  combined  re 
sistance  of  interest,  prejudice,  and  pride,  he  took  his 
post  among  the  foremost  of  the  honorable  band  as 
sociated  to  deliver  Africa  from  the  rapacity  of  Europe, 
by  the  abolition  of  the  slave-trade ;  nor  was  death 


WlLBERFORCE'S    GrRAVE.  73 

permitted  to  interrupt  his  career  of  usefulness,  till  he 
had  witnessed  that  act  of  the  British  Parliament  by 
which  the  abolition  was  decreed."  After  viewing 
minutely  the  profile  of  this  able  defender  of  the 
negro's  rights,  which  was  finely  chiselled  on  the 
tablet,  I  took  a  hasty  glance  at  Shakspeare,  on  the  one 
side,  and  Dryden  on  the  other,  and  then  passed  on, 
and  was  soon  in  the  north  aisle,  looking  upon  the 
mementoes  placed  in  honor  of  genius.  There  stood  a 
grand  and  expressive  monument  to  Sir  Isaac  Newton, 
which  was  in  every  way  worthy  of  the  great  man  to 
whose  memory  it  was  erected.  A  short  distance  from 
that  was  a  statue  to  Addison,  representing  the  great 
writer  clad  in  his  morning  gov/n,  looking  as  if  he 
had  just  left  the  study,  after  finishing  some  chosen 
article  for  the  Spectator.  The  stately  monument  to 
the  Earl  of  Chatham  is  the  most  attractive  in  this 
part  of  the  Abbey.  Fox,  Pitt,  Grattan,  and  many 
others,  are  here  represented  by  monuments.  I  had 
to  stop  at  the  splendid  marble  erected  to  the  memory 
of  Sir  Fowell  Buxton,  Bart.  A  long  inscription 
enumerates  his  many  good  qualities,  and  concludes  by 
saying :—"  This  monument  is  erected  by  his  friends 
and  fellow-laborers,  at  home  and  abroad,  assisted  by 


74  A  FUGITIVE  SLAVE  AT 

the  grateful  contributions  of  many  thousands  of  the 
African  race."  A  few  steps  further  and  I  was  stand 
ing  over  the  ashes  of  Wilberforce.  In  no  other  place 
so  small  do  so  many  great  men  lie  together.  The  fol 
lowing  is  the  inscription  on  the  monument  erected  to 
the  memory  of  this  devoted  friend  of  the  oppressed 
and  degraded  negro  race : — 

"  To  the  memory  of  WILLIAM  WILBERFORCE,  born 
in  Hull,  August  24,  1759,  died  in  London,  July  29, 
1833.  For  nearly  half  a  century  a  member  of  the 
House  of  Commons,  and  for  six  parliaments  during 
that  period,  one  of  the  two  representatives  for  York 
shire.  In  an  age  and  country  fertile  in  great  and 
good  men,  he  was  among  the  foremost  of  those  who 
fixed  the  character  of  their  times ;  because  to  high 
and  various  talents,  to  warm  benevolence,  and  to  uni 
versal  candor,  he  added  the  abiding  eloquence  of  a 
Christian  life.  Eminent  as  he  was  in  every  department 
of  public  labor,  and  a  leader  in  every  work  of  charity, 
whether  to  relieve  the  temporal  or  the  spiritual  wants 
of  his  fellow  men,  his  name  will  ever  be  specially 
identified  with  those  exertions  which,  by  the  blessings 
of  God,  removed  from  England  the  guilt  of  the  Afri 
can  slave-trade,  and  prepared  the  way  for  the  aboli- 


WlLBERFORCE'S    GRAVE.  75 

tion  of  slavery  in  every  colony  of  the  empire.  In 
the  prosecution  of  these  objects,  he  relied  not  in  vain 
on  God ;  but,  in  the  progress,  he  was  called  to  en 
dure  great  obloquy  and  great  opposition.  He  out 
lived,  however,  all  enmity,  and,  in  the  evening  of  his 
days,  withdrew  from  public  life  and  public  observa 
tion,  to  the  bosom  of  his  family.  Yet  he  died  not 
unnoticed  or  forgotten  by  his  country  ;  the  Peers  and 
Commons  of  England,  with  the  Lord  Chancellor  and 
the  Speaker  at  their  head,  in  solemn  procession  from 
their  respective  houses,  carried  him  to  his  fitting  place 
among  the  mighty  dead  around,  here  to  repose,  till, 
through  the  merits  of  Jesus  Christ  his  only  Redeemer 
and  Saviour,  whom  in  his  life  and  in  his  writings  he 
had  desired  to  glorify,  he  shall  rise  in  the  resurrection 
of  the  just." 

The  monument  is  a  fine  'one  ;  his  figure  is  seated  on 
a  pedestal,  very  ingeniously  done,  and  truly  expressive 
of  his  age,  and  the  pleasure  he  seemed  to  derive  from 
his  own  thoughts.  Either  the  orator  or  the  poet  have 
said  or  sung  the  praises  of  most  of  the  great  men  who 
lie  buried  in  "Westminster  Abbey,  in  enchanting 
strains.  The  statues  of  heroes,  princes,  and  statesmen 
are  there  to  proclaim  their  power,  worth,  or  brilliant 


76  A  FUGITIVE  SLAVE. 

genius,  to  posterity.  But  as  time  shall  step  between 
them  and  the  future,  none  will  be  sought  after  with 
more  enthusiasm  or  greater  pleasure  than  that  of 
Wilberforce.  No  man's  philosophy  was  ever  moulded 
in  a  nobler  cast  than  his  ;  it  was  founded  in  the  school 
of  Christianity,  which  was,  that  all  men  are  by  nature 
equal;  that  they  are  wisely  and  justly  endowed  by 
their  Creator  with  certain  rights  which  are  irrefrag 
able,  and  no  matter  how  human  pride  and  avarice 
may  depress  and  debase,  still  God  is  the  author  of 
good  to  man ;  and  of  evil,  man  is  the  artificer  to  him 
self  and  to  his  species.  Unlike  Plato  and  Socrates, 
his  mind  was  free  from  the  gloom  that  surrounded 
theirs.  Let  the  name,  the  worth,  the  zeal,  and  other 
excellent  qualifications  of  this  noble  man,  ever  live  in 
our  hearts,  let  his  deeds  ever  be  the  theme  of  our 
praise,  and  let  us  teach  our  children  to  honor  and 
love  the  name  of  Willliam  "Wilberforce. 


LOKDON. 


af    llkrt  airtr 


TT  was  a  beautiful  morning  as  ever  glittered  over  the 
broad  Atlantic.  The  sun  had  the  brightness  and 
the  sky  the  soft  cerulean  with  which  the  month  of 
June  adorns  the  latitude  of  Carolina.  The  sea  was 
not  heavy  nor  rolling,  but  its  motion  was  just  enough 
to  make  its  waves  sparkle  under  the  slanting  rays  of 
the  morning  sun. 

Mary  stood  with  her  betrothed  in  the  bow  of  the 
boat,  as  it  gracefully  ploughed  its  way  towards  New 
York.  She  was  only  eighteen,  and  Albert  was  just 
twenty. 

Mary  was  on  her  way  to  Troy,  to  complete  her 
studies  in  the  excellent  institution  for  young  ladies, 
which  has  sent  out  some  of  the  brightest  ornaments 
of  their  sex,  to  refine  and  bless  the  world.  She  had 
been  entrusted  to  Albert's  care,  who  was  to  spend 


78  NAEKATIVE  OF 

his  summer  in  New  York,  in  the  pursuit  of  the  legal 
profession.  They  were  both  Carolinians,  and  had  no 
little  of  that  ardent  spirit  which  distinguishes  the 
youth  of  the  South;  while  their  well-developed 
forms,  their  intellectual  countenances,  and  their  sen 
sible  speech,  placed  them  in  association  beyond  their 
years. 

As  Mary  leaned  upon  the  arm  of  her  gallant  pro 
tector,  their  conversation  sparkled  as  the  ocean  spray 
that  dashed  against  steamer's  bow.  But  suddenly,  as 
the  jet  black  eye  of  Albert  Gillon  caught  the  soft 
blue  of  Mary's,  he  started  at  the  discovery  of  a  tear 
trembling  upon  her  eye-lash. 

"  Sweet  Mary,  what  saddens  you  ?" 

"Ah!  Albert,  the  greatest  trial  of  my  feelings  is 
the  thought  that  you  have  never  yet  consecrated 
yourself  to  Christ." 

"  I  have,"  replied  Albert,  "  no  natural  repugnance 
to  religion.  On  the  contrary,  I  see  and  acknowledge 
God  in  all  his  works  and  in  all  his  providence,  as  the 
author  and  supreme  ruler  of  all  things.  But,  Mary, 
I  do  not  understand  the  God  of  the  Bible.  I  do  not 
understand  how  they  who  claim  to  be  God's  own 
people,  and  have  the  distinguishing  title  of  Chris- 


ALBERT  AND  MARY.  79 

tians,  are,  many  of  them,  far  worse  in  moral  charac 
ter,  than  those  who  make  no  such  profession.  I  do 
not  mean  hypocrites;  but  those  who  are  actually 
respected  as  orthodox  Christians.  There  is  Mr. 
Verse,  of  Philadelphia,  for  instance,  who  has  a  high 
place  as  a  religious  editor,  and  discusses  the  doctrines 
of  Christianity  with  a  zeal  which  shows  he  takes  deep 
interest  in  his  work,  and  yet  young  as  I  am,  and  gay 
as  I  am,  I  can  see  that  in  his  practical  application  of 
Christianity,  he  teaches  sentiments  at  variance  with 
the  plainest  principles  of  moral  truth ;  and  he  sets 
himself  against  those  whose  moral  character  is  above 
reproach ;  and  rebukes  them  as  infidels  in  their  very 
efforts  to  elevate  the  moral  tone  of  society.  How  is 
it  that  Mr.  Yerse  is  recognized  as  a  Christian,  and 
these  excellent  men  are  avoided  as  infidels?  "Why 
is  he  fit  for  heaven,  and  they  must  be  cast  down  to 
hell  ?  I  don't  understand  it." 

"  I  know,"  replied  Mary,  "  that  wiser  heads  than 
mine  find  difnculty  in  answering  your  question ;  and 
it  would  be  presumptuous  in  me  to  signify  that  I  can 
solve  it  to  your  satisfaction.  But  still,  Albert,  your 
observations  only  confirm,  in  my  own  mind,  your 
total  ignorance  of  what  constitutes  a  Christian.  Al- 


80  NARRATIVE  or 

bert,  it  is  not  morality ;  it  is  not  consistency  of  prac 
tice  with  profession ;  it  is  not  the  doing  right  that 
makes  a  Christian,  for  if  man  could  have  attained  to 
entire  correctness  itf  morals,  there  would  have  been 
no  such  thing  as  Christianity.  But  it  is  because  of 
man's  wickedness  and  his  inconsistency,  both  in  the 
ory  and  in  practice,  that  the  Christian  religion  is  pre 
sented  as  the  means  of  attaining  to  salvation.  Christ 
makes  the  Christian — the  Christian  in  Christ  and 
Christ  in  the  Christian — a  loving,  affectionate,  en 
dearing  union — of  ignorance  with  wisdom,  of  infir 
mity  with  strength,  of  immorality  with  virtue.  Christ 
throws  his  robe  of  righteousness  over  the  follies  and 
the  wickedness  of  the  converted  soul,  and  by  cover 
ing  him  with  himself,  gradually  similates  him  to  him 
self  until  what  is  carnal  being  cast  off,  the  spiritual 
remains  at  death  a  pure  child  of  God." 

"  Dear  me,  Mary,  you  look  lovely  as  you  speak  this 
mysterious  theology.  And  I  really  pant  after  such 
feelings  as  I  see  beaming  from  your  countenance ; 
but  you  might  just  as  well  speak  to  me  in  Arabic 
for  any  understanding  I  can  have  of  this  thing  called 
Christianity.  It  must  be  something  good,  or  it  could 
aot  thus,  fill  youj  owa  soul,  intelligent  as  you  are, 


ALBEET  AND  MART.  81 

with  a  joy  that  makes  you  indifferent  to  those  gaieties 
of  life  which  give  me  pleasure." 

"  You  need,"  said  Mary,  "  the  teachings  of  God's 
spirit.  You  know  I  took  delight  in  those  things  a 
year  ago,  but  God's  spirit  taught  me  that  I  was  sin 
ning  in  partaking  of  them.  I  was  at  Fayolle's,  danc 
ing,  and,  in  the  midst  of  a  figure  in  the  cotillon,  my 
head  became  giddy,  and  I  had  to  be  supported  to  a 
seat.  I  soon  recovered,  but  the  thought  of  a  sudden 
death  distressed  me,  for  it  came  very  forcibly  to  my 
mind' — I  am  a  wicked  sinner." 

"  O,  Mary,  Mary,"  interrupted  Albert,  "  you  did 
not  think  yourself  a  sinner !" 

"  Yes,  Albert,  I  did.  I  had  never  thought  so  be 
fore,  but  had  rather  prided  myself  upon  being  called 
a  good  girl  by  all  my  acquaintances.  But  I  now  saw 
things  in  a  different  light ;  and  when  I  went  home 
and  began  self-examination,  I  soon  found  I  had  a  very 
wicked  heart.  I  tried  to  do  better,  but  the  more  I 
tried  to  live  unto  God  the  more  I  discovered  the 
proneness  of  my  heart  to  sin.  I  tried  to  think  good 
thoughts,  and  evil  thoughts  came  directly  in  my  way 
to  mar  my  peace.  Day  after  day  I  made  effort  to 
purify  my  thoughts.  It  was  all  in  vain.  A  puro 


82  NARRATIVE  OF 

thought  immediately  suggested  its  opposite,  and  I 
found  myself  more  familiar  with  the  evil  than  the 
good.  It  shocked  me.  But  I  penetrated  deeper  and 
deeper  into  my  own.  heart — into  the  iniquity  of  my 
soul,  until  I  despaired  of  ever  sounding  its  depth.  I 
then  cried  to  God  to  have  mercy  on  me.  He  heard 
my  prayer,  and  Jesus  Christ  came  to  my  help.  I  felt 
that  he  had  suffered  in  my  stead,  and  had  poured  out 
his  blood  as  an  atonement  for  my  sins.  I  found  peace 
to  my  soul  as  I  cast  myself,  a  poor,  helpless  sinner, 
upon  his  atoning  altar,  and  bathed  myself  in  his  all- 
cleansing  blood." 

Mary  could  proceed  no  farther,  for  the  tears  began 
to  flow  too  rapidly,  and  her  emotion  might  have  been 
noticed  by  others  than  Albert. 

The  wind,  too,  began  to  rise,  and  it  blew  so  fresh 
that  they  retired  to  the  cabin,  where  Albert  occupied 
himself  with  a  game  of  chess,  and  Mary  read,  with 
evident  pleasure,  such  parts  of  her  dearly -prized  Bible 
which  suited  the  state  of  her  mind,  occasionally  call 
ing  Albert's  attention  to  some  passage  particularly 
striking. 

In  the  afternoon,  Mary  took  her  seat  in  a  position 
to  enjoy  the  best  view  of  the  western  sky,  in  which 


ALBERT  AND  MARY.  83 

floated,  in  all  their  gorgeousness,  the  variegated  sun-lit 
clouds. 

Albert  soon  joined  her.  "  Well,  Mary,  you  seem 
to  be  meditating ;  but  allow  me  to  participate  in  the 
luxury  of  your  reflections  upon  that  splendid  horizon." 

"  Indeed,  Albert,  I  was  thinking  how  much  more 
impressive  is  such  scenery  than  the  traveller  on  land 
enjoys.  In  the  rapid  succession  of  scenery  and 
variety  of  faces,  as  the  coach  or  the  steam  car  drives 
rapidly  onward,  everything  one  sees  increases  the 
mind's  confusion.  Whatever  he  casts  his  eye  upon, 
worthy  of  admiration,  attracts  his  attention  but  a 
moment ;  and  the  sublimity  of  mountain  heights,  the 
gaudy  decorations  of  fertile  valleys,  and  the  frowning 
grandeur  of  rocks,  as  they  cast  their  dark  shadow 
upon  some  foaming  torrent,  flit  by  him  as  a  dream  of 
twilight,  and  leave  upon  his  memory  only  pencil  out 
lines  of  the  beautiful  and  the  sublime.  Not  so  the 
voyager  on  the  ocean.  Here  the  beautiful  imprints 
itself  ineffaceably  in  all  its  sparkling  and  its  gorgeous 
variety  upon  the  enchanted  mind,  and  the  grand  and 
the  sublime  raise  such  a  tempest  of  wonder  in  the 
soul  that  the  ocean  ever  after  rolls  its  foaming  waves 
over  the  broad  expanse  of  memory." 


84  NAEEATIVE  OF 

"  Mary,"  said  Albert,  "  tliese  clouds,  floating  so 
gracefully  on  the  ocean,  and  this  gorgeous  horizon  in 
spiring  your  poetic  fancy,  are  something  more  than 
mere  sky  drapery,  for  you'll  perceive  that  the  wind  is 
becoming  boisterous,  and  I  fear  we  are  going  to  have 
a  stormy  night." 

"You  do  not  feel  alarmed,  do  you  Albert?" 

"  I  cannot  say  I  feel  alarmed  ;  but  I  would  be  more 
comfortable  at  this  time  if  I  had  not  so  precious  a 
charge.  There  may  be  no  real  danger,  but  there  can 
be  no  harm  in  preparing  for  what  might  happen.  If 
we  should  have  a  storm  I  wish  you  would  take  your 
seat  on  that  large  box,  so  as  to  appropriate  it  and  keep 
it.  Your  father  brought  me  two  life-preservers  and 
a  good  cord,  when  we  came  on  board,  and  charged  me 
to  use  them  in  case  of  accident.  You  smile,  Mary,  at 
my  earnestness,  and  perhaps  my  love  for  you  induces 
anxiety  which  circumstances  do  not  warant.  Still  you 
can  keep  in  mind  my  directions." 

Albert  walked  towards  the  bow  of  the  steamer, 
while  Mary  again  fixed  her  attention  upon  the  varie 
gated  clouds.  She  did  not  participate  in  Albert's 
apprehensions,  and  thought  his  anxiety  needless.  Yet 
his  earnest  request  made  that  sort  of  impression  upon 


ALBERT  AND  MARY.  85 

her  mind  which  rather  conduced  to  religious  con 
templation. 

The  broad  disk  of  the  sun  could  be  seen  through 
the  floating  cloud,  and  as  Albert  returned,  Mary  re 
marked  : — u  Albert,  an  hour  ago  I  tried  to  look  at 
the  sun,  but  his  light  dazzled  my  eyes  to  blindness. 
I  could  not  mark  its  shape  nor  perceive  its  beauty. 
But  now  the  cloud  floats  before  it,  and  through  its 
light  vapor  I  see  the  sun's  circular  infinity,  and  ad 
mire  its  beauty  and  its  glory  undazzled  by  its  efful 
gence.  So  it  is  I  see  God  through  Christ,  as  he  trans 
mits  the  glory  of  his  Father.  And  it  is  by  thus  see 
ing  God  through  Christ,  instead  of  by  the  eyes  of 
intellect  and  mere  mental  observation,  that  I  obtain ' 
hope  in  God  and  feel  prepared  to  enter  upon  the 
realities  of  that  world  which  is  eternally  lighted  by 
the  invisible  presence  of  Jehovah.  Seeing  him  in 
Christ  Jesus,  I  feel  an  assurance  of  his  mercy,  and 
am  freed  from  those  apprehensions  which  your  seep- 
ticism  and  distrust  occasion  yourself." 

"  My  dear  Mary,"  replied  Albert,  "  do  not  suppose 
my  counsel  to  you  originated  in  any  fear  for  myself 
personally.  It  may  be  from  want  of  reflection,  but 
really  I  do  not  know  what  the  fear  of  death  is.  Your 


86  NARRATIVE  OF 

safety,  Mary,  is  the  cause  of  my  present  anxiety.  I 
do  not  doubt  your  preparation  for  eternity,  but  I  am 
not  willing  to  resign  you  yet  to  the  companionship 
of  angels.  If  you  perish  beneath  these  billows,  and  I 
survive,  my  hope  for  happiness  in  this  life  is  blasted. 
What  is  to  be  beyond  the  grave  I  know  not;  and 
my  religion  concerns  the  life  that  now  is.  I  must 
make  the  best  of  time,  and  leave  eternity  to  be  taken 
account  of  when  I  am  fairly  launched  into  it.  Per 
haps  enjoying  this  world  with  you,  I  might  learn 
from  you  to  prepare  for  eternity.  At  present  my 
care  must  be  to  get  my  dear  Mary  safely  over  this 
treacherous  ocean." 

The  sun  now  sank  beneath  the  western  horizon. 
The  variegated  colors  of  the  sky  were  rapidly  com 
mingling  into  one  dense  canopy  of  gloom. 

The  passengers  earnestly  inquired  of  the  captain 
about  the  prospect.  He  hoped  to  run  into  the  port 
of  Wilmington,  but  he  exhorted  them  to  have  brave 
hearts  for  the  danger  was  imminent.  The  storm  was 
rapidly  increasing.  All  urged  that  the  pressure  of 
steam  be  increased  to  the  utmost  capacity  of  the  boat. 

0,  what  an  anxious  crowd  were  upon  the  deck  of 
that  steamer,  as  they  strained  their  eyes  towards  the 


ALBERT  A.ND  MARY.  87 

land,  and  anon  lost  their  balance  by  the  dashing  of 
*He  billows!  The  lightning  played  with  terrific  splen- 
alternating  with  the  blackness  of  the  heavens; 
and  the  roar  of  the  waves  was  only  hushed  by  the 
awful  artillery  of  the  skies. 

Mary  was  sitting  where  Albert  had  directed,  await 
ing  with  great  calmness  the  result  of  the  storm. 

Albert  carefully  fastened  her  with  a  cord  to  the 
box,  having  first  placed  beneath  her  arms  the  life- 
preserver.  Placing  another  life-preserver  around  him 
self,  he  stood  by  Mary's  side  with  watchful  anxiety. 
Suddenly  a  heavy  sea  threw  the  boat  forcibly  to  one 
side,  and  Albert  mechanically  stretching  forth  his 
hand  to  save  himself,  accidentally  got  caught  in  the 
rope  that  he  had  entwined  about  the  box,  and  with 
Mary  was  tossed  into  the  sea  and  overwhelmed  with 
the  waves. 

The  steamer  was  several  hundred  yards  ahead  of 
them  before  Albert  succeeded  in  adjusting  his  posi 
tion  to  maintain  a  good  hold  upon  the  box.  His  first 
thought  was  to  examine  how  Mary  was  situated. 
The  lightning  gave  him  sufficient  assurance  that  she 
was  alive  and  unhurt.  At  that  moment  a  dreadful 
explosion  directed  their  eyes  towards  the  steamer, 


88  1STAERATIVE    OF 

and  the  awful  sight  was  exhibited  of  their  late  asso 
ciates  blown  into  the  air  and  then  sinking  beneath 
the  Avaves. 

The  loss  of  the  Pulaski  has  made  many  a  flowing 
tear.  But  few  were  left  to  tell  the  horrors  of  that 
night.  The  public  are  familiar  with  their  description 
of  the  sad  disaster.  But  they  knew  not  the  fate  of 
Albert  and  Mary,  and  only  added  them  to  the  cata 
logue  of  the  lost 

It  was  with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  Albert 
could  afford  his  charge  any  aid,  and  they  must  both 
soon  have  perished  if  the  storm  had  be  n  long  pro 
tracted.  But  fortunately,  the  wind  shifting,  the 
clouds  were  soon  dispersed,  and  the  stars  shone  out 
brightly. 

Before  morning  they  were  rescued  from  their  peril 
ous  situation,  and  found  themselves,  on  recovering 
from  their  exhaustion,  in  the  comfortable  cabin  of  a 
fast-sailing  brig.  The  storm,  although  exceedingly 
perilous  to  a  steamboat,  was  not  such  as  to  damage  a 
well-trimmed  vessel ;  and  the  brig,  soon  after  the  ex 
plosion,  bore  down  towards  the  wreck,  and  recovered 
from  a  watery  grave  the  interesting  subjects  of  our 

narrative 


ALBERT  AND  MARY.  89 

Mary  was  taken  on  board  in  a  state  of  entire  un- 
consciousness,  while  Albert  was  too  much  interested 
for  her  to  make  any  special  observation  of  the  persons 
by  whom  they  were  rescued. 

After  seeing  her  sufficiently  restored  to  animation 
to  be  left  to  repose,  he  retired  from  her  state-room 
and  suffered  himself  to  be  assisted  to  a  berth. 

The  sun  was  high  in  the  heavens  when  they  were 
awaked  from  their  slumber  and  invited  to  breakfast. 
Every  accommodation  in  the  way  of  dry  clothing  was 
supplied  them,  and  they  met  in  the  saloon  of  the  brig 
to  embrace,  in  the  transport  of  grateful  hearts. 

Having  recovered  their  self-possession,  they  looked 
around  for  their  deliverers.  None  were  in  the  saloon 
with  them  but  a  highly-accomplished  looking  lady 
and  the  steward  and  stewardess. 

The  lady  saluted  them  in  the  blandest  and  most 
refined  manner,  and  expressed  her  sincere  gratifica 
tion  that  they  had  been  so  soon  delivered  from  their 
perilous  situation,  and  were  already  so  well  recovered 
from  their  exhaustion. 

"  To  whom,  Madam,"  said  Albert,  "  are  we  in 
debted  for  these  expressions  of  kindness  and  tender 
solicitude  ?" 


90  NARRATIVE  OF 

"  I  am,  sir,  the  wife  of  the  captain  and  master  of 
this  brig.  My  husband  will  pay  you  his  respects  as 
soon  as  you  have  partaken  of  some  of  this  warm 
Java  and  these  hot  rolls." 

"I  would  not,"  said  Mary,  "  be  doing  justice  to  my 
own  feelings  were  I  to  sit  down  to  breakfast  without 
first  asking  your  liberty,  Madam,  to  read  a  beautiful 
psalm  which  occurs  to  my  mind  at  this  moment." 

"  Certainly,"  said  the  lady  ;  "  and,  steward,  invite 
the  chaplain  in  to  offer  prayer.  Doubtless  it  will  be 
perfectly  agreeable  to  our  young  guests." 

A  reverend  and  benevolent  looking  gentleman,  in 
black,  soon  entered  from  the  deck,  and,  in  the  kindest 
manner  and  address,  saluted  the  young  couple,  ex 
pressing,  with  deep  emotion,  his  sympathy  with  them 
and  his  anxiety  in  their  behalf. 

Mary  pointed  out  to  him  the  Psalm  she  had  selected. 
He  read  it;  made  a  few  highly-appropriate  comments, 
and,  while  all  knelt,  such  a  strain  of  grateful  praise 
and  of  fervent  prayer  flowed  from  the  lips  of  the 
warm-hearted  minister  as  seldom  is  surpassed. 

Mr.  Gracelius,  for  this  was  the  minister's  name,  was 
of  the  orthodox  faith,  and  had  long  been  engaged  in 
preaching  the  doctrines  of  the  Calvinistic  school.  Yet 


ALBERT  AND  MARY.  91 

he  was  not  bigoted  or  rigid.  His  heart  was  full  of  the 
milk  of  human  kindness,  and  he  carried  conviction  to 
his  hearers,  not  more  by  the  strength  of  his  logic  than 
the  benignity  of  his  address.  He  was  just  such  a 
minister  as  the  devout  and  accomplished  Mary  St. 
Clair  would  have  full  confidence  in.  She  was  de 
lighted  to  think  that  she  had  been  so  fortunate  as  to 
meet  such  a  friend  and  spiritual  counsellor  at  such  a 
time ;  and  she  at  once  gave  utterance  to  the  warm 
feelings  of  her  heart,  and  begged  that  Mr.  GraceHus 
would  feel  at  perfect  liberty  to  counsel  and  advise  her. 

"  My  advice  then  is,  my  dear  young  sister,  that 
first  of  all  you  sit  down  to  your  breakfast,  and  allow 
Mrs.  Templeton  to  help  you  and  the  young  gentleman 
to  your  coffee." 

Albert  and  Mary  could  not  but  feel  that  they  had 
fallen  among  true  friends.  And,  having  eaten  a 
cheerful  breakfast,  they  both  expressed  their  sincere 
gratitude  to  their  kind  hostess,  which  she  received 
with  equally  deep  emotion. 

Captain  Templeton  now  entered,  and  with  great 
courteousness,  blended  with  warmth  of  address,  gave 
his  hand  to  Albert,  and,  with  a  graceful  bow  to  Mary, 
expressed  the  pleasure  he  felt  in  having  rescued  them 


92  NAKKATIVE  OF 

from  a  watery  grave.  "  And  now,  my  young  friends," 
said  the  Captain,  "  I  wish  you  to  make  yourselves  per 
fectly  at  home  in  my  vessel ;  and  as  soon  as  I  can 
with  safety  restore  you  to  your  friends,  I  shall  do  so." 

"  Permit  me  to  inquire,"  said  Albert,  "  to  what  port 
you  are  destined  ?" 

"  We  do  not  go  into  any  harbor  in  the  United 
States,"  replied  the  Captain ;  "  but  should  we  meet 
with  a  merchant  vessel  under  favorable  circumstances, 
you  will  be  placed  on  board." 

"  Is  not  this  a  merchant  vessel  ?"  inquired  Albert. 

"  No,  sir.     This  is  an  armed  brig." 

"  Of  what  nation  ?"  asked  Albert. 

The  Captain  smiled  as,  with  a  courteous  bow,  he 
replied,  "  We  are  pirates  ;"  and  immediately  went  on 
deck,  leaving  Albert  and  Mary  in  perfect  amazement. 

Eecovering  himself  in  a  moment,  Albert  said  to 
Mrs.  Templeton  :  "  Your  husband  is  very  jocose  !" 

"  No,  sir ;  he  was  serious  in  what  he  said.  We  are 
pirates.  But  you  need  be  under  no  apprehension  of 
danger,  nor  feel  the  slightest  alarm.  I  know  that  you 
have  been  trained  to  believe  that  pirates  are  neces 
sarily  devoid  of  humane  feelings,  and  are  ever  thirst 
ing  for  blood.  But  I  trust  we  are  as  hospitable  and 


ALBERT  AND  MARY.  93 

kind  a  people  to  our  guests,  as  are  to  be  found  on 
land." 

Albert  and  Mary  were  indeed  the  guests  of  a  pirat 
ical  crew ;  but  they  were  soon  relieved  of  all  appre 
hension  of  personal  danger ;  for  there  was  that  in  the 
deportment  of  all  on  board  which  satisfied  them  of  a 
sincere  desire  to  serve  and  accommodate  them  in 
every  way. 

A  few  days  brought  them  into  such  intimacy  with 
the  crew  that  they  spoke  with  freedom,  even  on  the 
subject  of  piracy.  They  were  indeed  astonished  to 
find  that  even  Mr.  Gracelius  advocated  the  claims  of 
pirates  as  a  civilized  and  religious  people. 

On  board  the  brig  they  had  morning  and  evening 
prayers,  and  a  lecture  one  evening  in  the  week,  and 
two  sermons  on  the  Sabbath.  What  seemed  particu 
larly  remarkable  was  the  sound  evangelical  faith  of 
the  Captain  and  his  family,  and  the  unexceptionable 
doctrines  that  were  preached  by  their  minister.  There 
was  so  much  fervor,  earnestness,  and  pathos  in  the 
sermons  of  Mr.  Gracelius,  that  Mary  was  constrained 
to  admit  to  Mrs.  Templeton  that  she  had  never  heard 
better. 

They  had  been  on  the  brig  about  three  weeks, 


94  NAKKATIVE  OF 

without  any  event  calculated  to  disturb  the  sensibili 
ties  of  our  young  friends,  beyond  the  unaccountably 
strange  sentiments  of  the  piratical  crew.  Everything 
was  conducted  with  so  much  order  and  propriety, 
good  taste  and  moral  deportment,  that  they  could 
scarcely  believe  at  times  otherwise  than  that  a  mere 
sportive  hoax  was  being  played  upon  them. 

But  the  tranquil,  social  pastimes  were  now  inter 
rupted  by  a  new  scene  of  action. 

It  was  a  pleasant  morning ;  a  gentle  breeze  filled 
the  sails.  An  unusual  arrangement  of  the  vessel  at 
tracted  the  attention  of  Albert.  Soon  he  observed 
men  at  the  guns,  and  Captain  Templeton  standing  in 
a  commanding  position.  The  brig  was  bearing  down 
upon  a  French  merchantman. 

Albert  hastened  to  Mary,  and  disclosed  to  her  the 
state  of  things.  Mary  at  first  trembled,  but  soon  com 
posed  herself  with  trust  in  God.  Albert,  taking  her 
arm  into  his,  led  her  to  where  Captain  Templeton  was 
standing : 

"  Captain,"  said  Albert,  "  I  perceive  you  are  bear 
ing  down  upon  that  merchant  vessel.  Is  it  your 
object  to  place  us  on  board,  or  do  you  design  to  cap 
ture  her  ?" 


ALBEET  AND  MARY.  95 

"  Mr.  Gillon,"  replied  the  Captain,  "  I  shall  see  to 
it  that  you  and  your  young  charge  are  safely  provided 
for ;  and  that  you  may  be  perfectly  easy  on  that  score, 
I  now  inform  you  that  when  I  take  possession  of  that 
merchantman,  I  shall  make  'arrangements  for  you  to 
be  taken  in  her  to  a  suitable  port,  whence  you  can 
find  your  way  to  your  friends.  Be  composed  now, 
and  pay  such  attention  to  Miss  St.  Glair  as  the  un 
usual  occasion  may  seem  in  your  judgment  to  require. 
In  a  few  moments  we  shall  have  something  to  do,  and 
perhaps  a  necessity  to  use  our  guns.  But  I  hope  not.  If 
you  will  retire  to  the  cabin,  Mrs.  Templeton  will  enter 
tain  you  there  better  than  you  are  likely  to  be  on  deck." 

There  was  so  much  politeness  in  the  Captain's  man 
ner,  and  yet  evident  fixedness  of  purpose,  that  Albert 
attempted  no  answer.  There  was  now  no  doubt  that 
their  hospitable  entertainers  were  pirates.  They  re 
tired  to  the  cabin,  and  sat  there  in  profound  silence. 
Soon  Mrs.  Templeton  came  in,  and  in  her  gentle  win 
ning  manner  began  to  prepare  Mary  for  the  scenes 
that  might  transpire. 

"  You  must  not  be  alarmed,  my  dear.  You  will 
be  perfectly  safe.  I  only  regret  we  are  so  soon  likely 
to  lose  your  company." 


96  NAKEATIVE  OF 

"0  Mrs.  Templeton!"  said  Mary,  "how  can  you 
prosecute  such  a  life !  It  is  so  wicked !  Excuse  me, 
ma'am,  but  I  cannot  suppress  my  feelings  of  horror." 

At  this  moment  the  conversation  was  interrupted 
by  the  entrance  of  Captain  Templeton,  who,  with  a 
calm  countenance,  said : — 

"  Wife,  I  perceive  that  there  are  several  guns  on 
that  vessel,  and  I  judge  that  the  crew  and  passengers 
are  somewhat  numerous.  We  shall  have  to  proceed 
with  caution,  and  as  we  are  likely  to  have  somewhat 
of  a  warm  time,  I  think  I  should  feel  better  satisfied 
to  have  a  season  of  prayer." 

Albert  knit  his  brow  in  moody  silence.  Mary 
heaved  a  deep  sigh.  Mr.  Gracelius  was  called  in, 
and  having  read  the  20th  Psalm,  he  offered  up  the 
following  prayer : — 

"  Oh !  Thou  mighty  God  of  Jacob,  who  didst  accom 
pany  Thine  ancient  Israel  through  all  their  trials,  and 
didst  fight  their  battles  for  them,  we  thank  Thee  that 
Thou  hast  taught  us  to  put  our  trust  in  Thee.  And 
we  beseech  Thee,  oh !  blessed  Father,  for  the  sake  of 
Thine  own  Son  Jesus  Christ,  to  help  us  at  this  time  in 
our  endeavor  to  appropriate  to  the  support  of  this 
branch  of  thy  Zion,  the  treasures  which,  for  the  mere 


ALBERT  AND  MART.  97 

purposes  of  an  unhallowed  commerce,  are  being 
transported  to  that  people  who  have  ever  distin 
guished  themselves  by  their  infidelity,  and  by  their 
scorn  of  all  true  religion;  who  have  also  by  their 
mighty  leaders  devastated  kingdoms  and  shed  seas  of 
blood  to  gratify  a  vain -glorious  ambition. 

"  Oh !  Lord,  we  would  not  shed  blood  needlessly, 
and  we  therefore  pray  Thee  to  enable  us  in  the  ap 
proaching  conflict,  to  have  a  single  eye  to  Thy  glory, 
and  thus  preserve  a  calm  and  kind  temper,  whatso 
ever  may  be  the  resistance  offered  on  this  occasion. 
And  wilt  Thou,  0  Lord,  assist  our  beloved  captain  to 
do  his  duty,  and  to  so  command  his  men  and  order 
the  battle,  that  when  all  shall  be  over,  he  may  have 
a  conscience  void  of  offence  towards  God  and  to 
wards  man.  And  whatsoever  treasures  may  come  to 
us,  may  we  gratefully  employ  in  Thy  service  and  to 
Thy  glory,  remembering  that  Jesus  Christ,  who  died 
for  us  and  rose  again  for  our  justification,  first  became 
poor,  that  we  through  his  poverty  might  be  made 
rich,  and  therefore  that  we  ought  to  use  our  wealth 
to  the  advancement  of  Christianity  in  our  own  souls 
and  among  our  fellow-beings,  as  the  best  evidence  of 

our  gratitude  for  our  earthly  prosperity,  and  for  tliosa 

5 


98  NARRATIVE  OF 

treasures  which,  are  laid  up  for  us  in  heaven  ;  and  to 
Thy  gracious  name,  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Spirit,  be 
the  praise  forever.  Amen" 

The  tone  of  the  chaplain's  voice,  the  fervid  manner 
and  the  striking  pathos  of  this  short  prayer,  had  a 
strong  effect  upon  Captain  Templeton  and  his  wife. 
They  both  rose  from  their  knees  with  tears  in  their 
eyes. 

The  Captain  grasped  the  hand  of  Mr.  Gracelius, 
and  earnestly  said :  "I  feel  strengthened,  my  brother ; 
and  I  can  now  say,  If  the  Lord  be  for  us,  who  can  be 
against  us!"  He  then  passed  out  and  resumed  his 
position  on  the  deck. 

"Miss  St.  Glair,"  said  Mrs.  Templeton,  "do  you 
think  that  can  be  wickedness  which  the  Lord  sancti 
fies  with  his  communion  ?" 

Before  Mary  could  reply,  the  loud  report  of 
a  cannon  gave  notice  that  the  action  had  com 
menced. 

The  struggle  was  a  short  one,  the  French  vessel  was 
captured,  with  the  loss  of  her  commander,  who  fell  at 
the  first  fire.  It  took  but  a  short  time  to  have  all  on 
the  merchantman  in  fetters,  and  the  vessel  manned  by 
the  pirates. 


ALBERT  AND  MARY.  99 

It  was  not  until  the  morning  after  the  capture  that 
matters  became  composed  on  the  pirates'  vessel,  and 
everything  in  usual  order. 

At  breakfast  Mary  took  the  liberty  to  ask  the  Cap 
tain  what  he  designed  to  do  with  his  prisoners. 

"  I  always  endeavor,"  he  replied,  "  to  remember  the 
obligations  of  humanity  and  Christianity.  Some 
times,  for  our  own  safety,  we  are  compelled  to  put  our 
captives  to  death,  but  I  do  so  always  with  great  re 
luctance,  and  never  without  prayer  to  God  that  their 
souls  might  be  saved.  In  this  case  I  think  we  shall 
not  be  under  this  painful  necessity." 

"  Captain,"  said  Albert,  "it  is  perfectly  unaccount 
able  to  me  how  a  man  of  your  naturally  humane  and 
benevolent  disposition  can  engage  in  this  business  of 
robbery  and  murder." 

"  Well,  Mr.  Gillon,"  replied  the  Captain,  "  I  make 
every  allowance  for  one  who  has  been  educated  as 
you  have  been,  and  taught  that  pirates  were  only 
worthy  of^the  gallows ;  although  I  cannot  but  feel 
that  your  language  is  not  such  as  your  refined  and 
polished  manners  would  warrant  me  to  expect  and 
require.  Our  business  is  not  robbery  and  murder. 
The  laws  under  which  we  live,  both  social  and  politi- 


100  NARRATIVE  OF 

cal,  are  as  decidedly  opposed  to  such,  crimes  as  among 
any  other  people." 

"  I  did  not,"  replied  Albert,  "  intend  to  be  ungentle- 
manly  in  my  language,  and  was  not  aware  that  these 
terms  were  offensive  to  yon.  But,  sir,  you  only  in 
crease  my  amazement.  I  cannot  comprehend  how 
you  can  characterize  your  business  by  terms  more  ap 
propriate.  Is  it  not  so  that  piracy  is  but  the  practice 
of  robbery  and  murder,  when  it  takes  away  a  man's 
possessions,  and  then  destroys  his  life  to  make  the 
booty  secure?" 

"  I  perceive,  Mr.  Gillon,  that  you  labor  under  the 
delusion  that  all  pirates  are  bad  and  cruel  men.  I 
confess,  sir,  there  are  many  of  our  people  who  treat 
their  prisoners  with  unnecessary  severity,  and  fre 
quently  inflict  death  when  the  occasion  does  not  de 
mand  it.  But,  my  dear  sir,  this  is  the  abuse  of  piracy, 
not  its  legitimate  use." 

"  And  do  you  really  mean  to  say,  Captain  Temple- 
ton,"  said  Mary,  "that  piracy  can  be  made  an  honor 
able  business?" 

"  Of  course  I  do,  miss,"  replied  the  Captain,  "  and  I 
regret  that  Miss  St.  Clair  can  suppose  I  would  engage 
in  a  business  that  I  did  not  believe  to  be  honorable." 


ALBERT  AND  MARY.  101 

"  But,  Captain,  you  profess  to  be  a  Christian,  and  it 
is  a  great  mystery  to  me  how  }^ou  can  reconcile  your 
profession  with  your  practice.  Surely  you  do  not  be 
lieve  that  the  Scriptures  justify  such  a  life." 

"  That  is  precisely  my  belief,  Miss,"  replied  the  Cap 
tain.  "  Piracy  is  a  Bible  institution,  and  if  it  were 
not  so,  I  would  abandon  it  at  once." 

"Ah! "said  Albert,  "that  accounts  for  it.  It  is 
that  belief  in  the  Bible  that  leads  the  mind  and  the 
heart  astray  from  the  clear  principles  of  a  sound  moral 
philosophy.  Even  my  good  Mary,  here,  is  so  warped 
by  her  reverence  for  the  Bible,  that  she  defends  the 
institution  of  slavery,  which  I  abhor  with  all  my 
heart.  But,  Captain,  although  I  am  not  surprised  at 
your  belief  that  the  Bible  sanctions  piracy,  since  it  is 
quoted  by  Christians  in  support  of  all  sorts  of  wicked 
ness,  I  am  surprised  that  a  man  of  your  good  sense 
and  keen  moral  perception  in  regard  to  other  matters 
of  life,  should  not  perceive  that  slavery,  and  piracy, 
and  war,  and  everything  of  the  sort,  are  irreconcil 
able  with  sound  morality." 

"I  do  not  know,"  replied  the  Captain,  "what 
might  be  the  conclusions  of  abstract  reasoning  upon 
the  subject  outside  of  the  Bible,  for  I  have  never 


102  NARRATIVE  OF 

thought  very  profoundly -about  it.  But  I  feel  satisfied 
so  long  as  I  have  the  assurance  that  the^revealed 
Word  is  on  my  side." 

"  But,  Captain,"  said  Mary,  "  I  am  not  willing  to 
allow  that  the  Bible  is  on  your  side.  It  shocks  me  to 
hear  you  say  so." 

"Well,  Miss  St.  Glair,  I  must  turn  you  over  to  bro 
ther  Gracelius,  who  is  well  posted  up  in  Bible  matters. 
He  will  be  able  to  show  you  that  piracy  is  a  Bible  in 
stitution." 

"  Yes,  my  young  sister,"  said  Mr.  Gracelius,  who 
had  not  been  inattentive  to  the  conversation,  while  he 
was  enjoying  an  excellent  cup  of  coffee.  "  The  Scrip 
tures  do  most  certainly  sanction  the  institution  of 
piracy." 

Here  Mr.  Gracelius  took  from  his  pocket  a  small 
Bible,  and  proceeded  to  say :  "On  such  a  question,  I 
am  strongly  disposed  to  pass  by  all  ethical  and  meta 
physical  dissertation,  and  appeal  at  once  to  the  only 
standard  of  right  and  wrong  which  can  prove  decisive. 
It  is  the  responses  of  the  sacred  oracles  to  which  we 
must  after  all  appeal." 

"I  could  wish,  Mr.  Gracelius,"  said  Albert,  "that 
you  would  discuss  this  question  rather  upon  the  foun- 


ALBERT  AND  MAKY.  103 

dation  principles  of  morality,  than  by  arguments  from 
a  volume  which  sanctions  war,  slavery,  death  penal 
ties,  and  a  host  of  other  evils,  by  the  very  confessions 
of  Christians  themselves." 

"  I  perceive,"  said  Mr.  Gracelius,  "  that  you,  sir, 
have  never  yet  learned  the  true  grace  of  God  through 
regeneration,  or  you  too  would  bow  submissively  to 
the  teachings  of  the  sacred  Scriptures,  and  acknowl 
edge  them  as  the  highest  standard  of  right  and  moral 
ity.  I  cannot,  therefore,  hope  to  seriously  affect  your 
mind  by  an  appeal  to  the  Bible.  But  Miss  St.  Clair,  being 
a  Christian,  will  feel  the  force  of  such  high  authority." 

"  Truly,  Mr.  Gracelius,"  said  Mary,  "  I  do  take  the 
Bible  as  my  highest  standard  of  truth ;  and  it  is  from 
the  principles  "taught  by  the  Bible  that  I  have  the 
assurance  that  piracy  is  awfully  criminal.  And  I  am 
utterly  astonished  that  a  man  of  your  apparent  piety, 
and  who  so  well  understands  the  doctrines  of  Chris 
tianity,  can  for  a  moment  think  that  the  Bible  justifies 
such  crimes." 

"  My  dear  young  sister,"  said  the  minister,  "  you 
are  begging  the  question  when  you  call  piracy  a  crime, 
for  that  is  the  very  thing  you  are  to  prove.  But  let 
us  see  what  piracy  is : 


NARRATIVE  OF 

"  In  order  to  clear  away  rubbish,  and  to  arrive  at 
once  at  the  point,  let  me  remind  you  that  it  is  simply 
the  essential  character  of  piracy  which  we  are  discuss 
ing.  Piracy  itself  is  nothing  more  than  the  appro 
priating  of  the  products  of  another's  labor  and  skill, 
without  his  consent  or  contract.  The  absence  of  the 
contract,  or  the  consent  of  the  producer,  does  not  alter 
the  nature  and  extent  of  the  pirates'  right.  The  case 
is  analogous  to  that  of  parents  and  children.  A  father 
has  a  right  to  the  productions  of  his  child's  labor 
during  his  minority,  without  the  contract  or  consent 
of  the  child,  and  he  may  even  transfer  that  right.  But 
I  grant  that  this  does  not  justify  the  father  in  doing 
anything  to  the  detriment  of  the  child,  either  morally, 
intellectually,  or  physically.  And,  beyond  doubt, 
this  is  the  true  light  in  which  Christianity  would  have 
pirates  regard  their  relations.  The  capture  of  a  vessel, 
and  the  treatment  of  prisoners,  involve  a  great  respon 
sibility.  Nothing  more  should  be  done  than  is  abso 
lutely  essential  to  the  maintenance  of  the  peculiar 
institutions  of  piracy..  It  is  not  the  relation  of  the 
pirate  to  the  producer  or  prisoner  which  is  sinful,  but 
infidelity  to  the  solemn  trust  which  that  relation 
creates.  It  does  not  follow,  because  he  has  a  right  to 


ALBERT  AND  MARY.  105 

the  produce  of  another's  labor  or  skill,  that  he  has 
also  a  right  to  inflict  unnecessary  violence  on  his  per 
son,  or  take  from  him  all  means  of  livelihood.  When 
ever  it  can  be  done,  without  jeopardizing  the  well- 
being  and  interests  of  our  society  and  institutions,  we 
ought  to  spare  the  prisoner's  life,  make  him  comfort 
able  while  in  our  hands,  place  him  as  soon  as  possible 
where  he  can  return  to  his  home,  and  leave  him  means 
enough  to  keep  him  from  starving  or  absolute  desti 
tution. 

"  To  include  in  the  idea  of  piracy,  that  also  of  rob 
bery  and  murder,  is  to  confound  two  things  entirely 
distinct,  and  which  really  have  no  sort  of  connection. 
If  I  take  from  another  that  which  I  have  no  right  to 
by  the  laws  of  the  society  or  government  under  which 
I  live,  then  I  am  a  robber ;  for  that  alone  is  property 
which  the  law  makes  property,  as  one  of  your  own 
great  statesmen  has  very  properly  said  ;  and  if  I  take 
life,  when  not  essential  to  maintain  my  own  rights 
under  the  laws  of  that  government  which  I  recognize 
in  my  social  obligations,  I  am  a  murderer.  I  therefore 
insist  upon  it,  that,  in  discussing  this  subject,  we  re 
gard  as  appropriate  to  the  question  only  the  es 
sential  elements  of  piracy,  and  not  its  abuses ;  for 

5* 


106  JSTAEEATIVE    OF 

piracy  may  exist  without  inflicting  tliese  aggravated 
wrongs. 

"  Christian  pirates  have  great  regard  for  the  welfare, 
temporal  and  spiritual,  of  their  fellow-beings,  and 
oftentimes  exercise  the  spirit  of  the  most  self-denying 
missionaries.  Such  men  and  women  do  honor  to 
human  nature.  They  are  the  true  friends  of  their 
race. 

"Now,  here  is  piracy — a  system  of  society  and 
government  which  gives  opportunity  to  inculcate 
among  graceless  men  who  fall  into  our  hands  the 
principles  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ;  and  many  an 
ungodly  man  has  had  the  opportunity  in  our  cabin 
of  hearing  the  doctrines  of  the  cross,  who,  whilst 
immersed  in  the  business,  and  cares,  and  pleasures  of 
life,  never  darkened  the  door  of  a  meeting-house  on 
land.  And  many  of  them  have  been  converted  to 
the  Christian  faith,  and  have  become  excellent  and 
Y\rorthy  Christian  pirates. 

"  Those  of  our  captains  who  have  Christian  sailors 
under  them  have  the  best-managed  vessels ;  and 
really  their  crews  do  more  of  effective  work,  both  in 
battle  and  in  ship  duties,  than  any  ungodly  crew  that 
can  be  found. 


ALBERT  AND  MARY.  107 

"No,  Sister  Mary,  depend  upon  it,  you  have  im 
bibed  a  prejudice  against  piracy,  and  you  suppose  it 
to  involve  all  sorts  of  crime.  But  the  true  question 
of  issue  between  us  is  pruned  to  this : — Is  it  neces 
sarily  a  crime  in  the  sight  of  God  to  control  the 
property,  or  curtail  the  personal  liberty,  or  take  the 
life  of  a  human  being  in  any  case? 

"  Every  government  has  necessarily  a  right  to  pass 
laws  indispensable  to  its  existence ;  and  it  has  a 
right,  also,  to  establish  those  regulations  which  shall 
best  promote  the  good  of  the  whole  population. 
Now,  what  political  organization  is  most  desirable 
for  a  particular  people,  depends  on  circumstances ; 
but,  whatever  be  that  adopted,  whether  democracy, 
or  despotism,  or  piratical  confederation,  the  rights 
of  man,  as  a  human  being,  are  trenched  upon ;  and 
visionary  have  proved  and  will  prove  all  projects 
of  constructing  and  fashioning  society  according  to 
philosophical  notions  and  theories  of  abstract  un- 
alienable  rights.  That  piracy  or  any  civil  institution 
interferes  with  the  property  of  a  man,  or  a  class  of 
men  (as,  for  instance,  merchants),  does  not  then 
make  it  necessarily,  and,  amid  all  circumstances,  a 


108  1STAREATIVE    OF 

Mr.  Gracelius  here  paused,  and  gave  Mary  an 
opportunity  to  put  in  a  word. 

"But,"  said  she,  " after  taking  off  what  you  call 
the  rubbish,  Mr.  Gracelius,  and  pruning  the  question 
down  as  much  as  you  please,  I  cannot  possibly 
admit  that  the  Bible  anywhere  justifies  piracy  under 
any  circumstances  whatsoever,  either  abstractly  or 
practically.  I  call  upon  you  for  anything  in  all 
the  Bible  that  gives  the  slightest  countenance  to 
such  a  mode  of  life,  or  such  a  government,  as  you 
are  pleased  to  term  it." 

"  I  should  rather  require  of  you,"  replied  the 
learned  divine,  "  to  make  out  from  the  Bible  your 
charge  that  piracy  is  a  crime.  I  know  not  a  word 
from  the  first  of  Genesis  to  the  end  of  Eevelation 
where  piracy  is  once  condemned.  But  I  pass  this, 
and,  waiving  my  clear  logical  rights,  undertake  to 
prove  the  negative,  and  to  show  that  the  Bible  does, 
most  explicitly,  both  by  precept  and  example,  bear 
me  out  in  my  assertion,  that  piracy  is  not  neces 
sarily,  and  always,  and  amidst  all  circumstances,  a 
sin.  WHAT  GOD  SANCTIONED  IN  THE  OLD  TESTA 
MENT,  AND  PERMITTED  IN  THE  NEW,  CANNOT  BE  SIN. 

"I  begin  with  the   patriarch  Jacob,  whose   name 


ALBERT  AND  MART.  109 

Israel  lias  been  appropriated  from  his  day  to  this 
time  to  the  true  church.  How  did  Jacob  acquire 
his  great  riches?  Was  it  not  by  appropriating  the 
property  of  Laban  to  himself?  And  did  not  God 
bless  him  in  thus  doing?  There  is  not  a  word  of 
condemnation ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  Jacob,  in 
telling  his  brother  that  he  had  much  property,  re 
marked,  that  God  had  dealt  graciously  with  him. 
Here,  you  see,  is  a  marked  case  of  an  appropria 
tion  of  another's  property  by  a  very  adroit  strat 
agem,  which  is  fully  justified  by  the  Old  Testament, 
and  uncondemned  by  the  New. 

"  Had  Jacob  not  represented  in  his  person  a  different 
community  from  Laban's,  of  which  he  was  to  be  the 
Patriarch,  his  mode  of  acquiring  wealth  out  of  Laban 
would  have  been  censurable.  But  his  conduct  to 
wards  Laban  was  consistent  with  what  was  subse 
quently  allowed  under  the  Mosaic  laws  on  the  part 
of  the  Jews  towards  other  nations.  They  could,  for 
instance,  make  slaves  of  the  nations  round  about ; — 
they  could  take  usury  of  them ; — they  could  despoil 
them  by  war,  and  they  could  do  a  variety  of  things 
in  relation  to  the  people  of  other  nations  which  would 
have  been  robbery,  fraud,  murder,  and  so  on,  if  done 


110  NARRATIVE  OF 

by  Jews  to  Jews.  Thus  the  idea  that  that  is  prop 
erty  which  the  law  makes  property,  is  of  divine 
origin. 

"  Take  now  the  case  of  the  Israelites  in  their  exodus 
from  Egypt :  they  were  positively  enjoined  by  the 
Divine  command  to  borrow  of  their  Egyptian  neigh 
bors  their  various  costly  jeweleries,  not  with  the  idea 
of  returning  them,  but  of  appropriating  them  perma 
nently  to  their  own  benefit. 

"  David,  who  was  a  man  after  God's  own  heart,  did 
not  regard  it  robbery  to  obtain  from  the  Priest  the 
shew-bread  itself,  although  to  do  so  he  deceived  the 
Priest  by  telling  that  which,  under  other  circum 
stances,  would  be  called  a  lie.  It  was  essential  to  his 
life — to  his  support.  It  was  not  therefore  criminal  to, 
tell  the  falsehood  in  order  to  obtain  the  bread.  JSTow, 
it  is  upon  this  very  principle  that  your  government 
and  all  civil  governments  employ  diplomatic  agents,  in 
order  to  secure  by  adroitness  and  craftiness  commer 
cial  and  other  advantages;  and  it  is  upon  the  same 
principle  that  we  pirates  justify  our  proceedings.  It 
is  essential  to  the  support  and  maintenance  of  our 
people;  and  there  is  as  much  in  the  Scriptures  to 
warrant  our  stratagems  to  decoy  vessels  and  get  the 


ALBERT  AND  MARY.  Ill 

benefit  of  their  cargoes,  as  for  your  government  to  ob 
tain  advantages  by  diplomatic  adroitness.  We  must 
have  a  living. 

"  But  you  say  we  not  only  rob  but  murder.  But  as 
all  appropriations  of  others'  possessions  are  not  es 
sentially  robbery,  so  all  killing  is  not  essentially  mur 
der.  If  you  will  look  into  the  Book  of  Judges,  xiv. 
19,  you  will  find  that  the  taking  of  spoil  even  by 
violence  and  bloodshed,  is  not  necessarily  a  crime — is 
not  necessarily  robbery  and  murder.  It  is  the  case 
of  Samson  when  he  had  to  give  thirty  changes  of 
raiment  to  those  who  had  expounded,  his  riddle.  It  is 
said:  "  And  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  came  upon  him, 
and  he  went  down  to  Askelon  and  slew  thirty  men 
of  them,  and  took  their  spoil,  and  gave  change  of 
garments  unto  them  which  expounded  the  riddle." 
Now,  notice  this  particularly,  that  Samson  did  all  this 
under  the  influence  of  God's  Spirit.  And  you  will 
remember  that  Paul  in  Hebrews  mentions  Samson 
with  special  commendation. 

"  Now,  if  Samson,  and  David,  and  Jacob  did  such 
things,  we  feel  justified  in  proceeding  accordingly. 

"  But  as  I  have  not  time  to  go  into  very  minute  de 
tail,  I  pass  at  once  to  two  very  important  points  in 


112  NARRATIVE  OF 

the  New  Testament.  The  first  occurs  in  Christ's 
parable  of  the  unjust  steward.  There  the  steward  is 
commended  for  making  an  arrangement  by  which  he 
secured  his  permanent  interest  by  adroitly  subtracting 
from  vhat  was  due  his  Lord  by  his  debtors.  He  had 
acted  unjustly  in  the  office  of  steward,  being  bound 
by  honor  to  fulfil  its  duties  and  his  obligations  to  his 
employer,  but  so  soon  as  his  obligations  to  his  em 
ployer  ceased  on  being  ordered  out  of  the  steward 
ship,  and  his  very  living  cut  off,  then  it  was  no  longer 
unjust,  but  commendable  to  do  that  which  before 
would  have  been  fraud  or  robbery. 

"  The  other  case  is  that  of  our  blessed  Lord  himself. 
He  sent  his  disciples  to  take  away  from  the  place 
where  they  were  tied  an  ass  and  her  colt ;  and  he  told 
them  how  to  escape  should  they  be  caught  at  it;  by 
saying :  *  The  Lord  hath  need  of  them.'  Now,  when 
we  take  away  the  property  of  others,  we  may  reply 
to  those  who  question  us,  '  The  Lord  hath  need  of 
them,'  for  every  good  pirate  will  endeavor  so  to  use 
what  he  obtains  as  to  promote  the  best  interests  of 
religion,  and  to  glorify  our  blessed  Eedeemer. 

"  And  now,  my  dear  young  sister,  what  more  need 
I  say  to  establish,  the  point  that  piracy  is  not  essen- 


ALBERT  AND  MART.  113 

tially  sinful — that  it  is  not  malum  in  se  ?  Indeed,  it 
stands  upon  the  same  footing  that  slavery  does,  and 
is  vindicated  by  the  same  process  of  reasoning.  The 
argument  for  slavery  is  identically  the  same  in  prin 
ciple  as  for  piracy.  And  you  know  it  is  upon  the 
ground  that  slavery  is  not  under  all  circumstances  a 
sin,  that  Christians  in  the  Northern  States  hold  com 
munion  with  you  of  the  South.  And  I  admire  that 
charitable  spirit  which  induces  them  to  believe  that 
Southern  Christians  do  not  uphold  the  barbarous  fea 
tures  which  wicked  and  cruel  masters  impress  upon 
the  system  of  slavery.  They  give  you,  therefore,  very 
properly,  the  right  hand  of  Christian  fellowship, 
which  they  could  not  do  if  slaveholding  were  sin  in 
itself.  And  I  doubt  not  they  would  as  readily  com 
mune  with  Christian  pirates,  since  it  is  evident  that 
piracy  is  not,  any  more  than  slavery,  malum  in  se." 

Mary  made  no  reply,  but  sat  musing  with  a  coun 
tenance  overwhelmed  with  sadness. 

Mr.  Gracelius  looked  as  though  he  had  accom 
plished  a  decided  victory;  and  Captain  Templeton 
smiled  with  approbation. 

Albert  after  a  short  silence  exclaimed  with  great 
emphasis:  "I  thank  God  my  Bible  is  my  reason,  my 


114  NAEEATIVE  OF 

conscience,  and  my  heart.  I  this  day  glory  in  being  an 
infidel." 

"  Oh !  Albert,  Albert !"  cried  Mary,  and  burst  into 
tears. 

Albert  seeing  he  had  wounded  the  feelings  of  one 
he  loved  so  dearly,  tried  to  soothe  her  by  remarking 
that  he  had  met  at  the  North  with  some  persons  who 
maintained  that  the  Bible  was  misunderstood  and 
misinterpreted  by  the  most  of  the  commentators  and 
theologians,  and  that  when  rightly  explained  and  re 
ceived,  would  be  found  to  be  perfectly  in  harmony 
with  the  sympathies  and  philanthropic  emotions  of 
the  human  heart,  and  with  the  principles  of  enlight 
ened  reason.  But  as  these  persons  were  generally 
called  fanatical  and  visionary,  he  had  not  paid  much 
attention  to  their  strictures.  "I  intend,  however,"  he 
added,  "to  take  an  early  opportunity  to  investigate 
the  Bible  for  myself,  and  if  it  prove  itself  to  be  better 
than  its  commentators  and  expounders,  perhaps  I 
shall  become  a  Christian.  But  I  cannot  be  a  Chris 
tian  if  Christianity  props  up  slaveholding  and  piracy." 

Here  the  conversation  was  interrupted  by  the  en 
trance  of  a  messenger,  who  announced  that  every 
preparation  had  been  made,  and  that  Mr.  Gillon  and 


ALBERT  AND  MARY.  115 

Miss  St.  Clair  could  now  go  on  board  the  merchant 
vessel.  On  rising  to  depart,  Albert  with  much  feeling 
addressed  the  Captain : 

"  Captain  Templeton,  we  are  much  indebted  to  you 
for  saving  our  lives,  and  for  the  hospitality  and  very 
kind  attentions  we  have  received.  I  would  that  I 
could  repay  you  in  some  way.  But  you  will  pardon 
me,  so  young  a  man,  for  expressing  the  profound  wish 
of  my  heart,  that  you  would  abandon  this  horrible  life, 
and  no  longer  delude  yourself  with  the  idea  that  the 
Bible  is  the  highest  authority  for  the  regulation  of 
man's  life.  Kecognize  every  man,  everywhere,  as 
your  brother,  and  treat  all  as  you  have  treated  Mary 
and  myself, — treat  all  as  your  own  heart,  left  to  its 
most  benevolent  promptings,  would  dictate,  and  (the 
Bible  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding)  you  will  please 
God  better  than  you  can  do  by  any  adherence  to  theo 
logical  dogmas,  that  make  the  Almighty  the  author 
of  piracy,  slavery,  war,  death-penalties,  and  such  like 
institutions  and  practices." 

"And  I,  too,  hope,"  replied  Captain  Templeton, 
"  that  you  will  look  into  this  matter  with  care,  and 
come  to  the  conclusion  to  follow  that  good  book 
rather  than  the  ignis  fatuus  of  mere  human  reason 


116  NARRATIVE  OF 

and  natural  conscience.  I  admire  your  honesty  and 
candor,  Mr.  Gallon,  and,  although  I  cannot  but  regard 
your  views  as  fanatical,  I  trust  that  when  the  ardor  of 
youth  shall  give  place  to  the  reflections  of  maturer 
years,  you  will  be  as  firm  a  believer  in  the  Bible  as  I 
am." 

"  Ah  !"  said  Mr.  Gracelius,  "  that  will  depend  upon 
the  grace  of  God.  Farewell,  young  man,  and  may 
the  Lord  convert  your  soul  and  give  us  a  happy  meet 
ing  again,  where  we  shall  sing  the  song  of  the  Lamb 
forever  and  ever." 

Mary,  still  in  tears,  took  Mr.  Gracelius  by  the  hand 
and  said : 

"  Mr.  Gracelius,  I  am  not  at  all  convinced  that  the 
Scriptures  favor  your  views,  although  I  am  not  pre 
pared  to  meet  your  arguments.  But  I  fear  you  have 
so  confirmed  Albert  in  his  infidelity,  that  it  will  be 
exceedingly  hard  to  get  him  hereafter  even  to  listen  to 
Christian  instruction." 

"  Oh !  my  young  sister,"  replied  the  minister,  "  the 
grace  of  God  can  conquer  the  worst  of  infidels,  and  I 
hope  your  friend  will  yet  become  an  ambassador  of 
Christ." 

By  this  time  the  party  were  standing  on  deck,  ready 


ALBERT  AND  MARY.  117 

to  bid  the  last  adieu.  Our  young  friends  were  soon 
on  board  the  merchant  vessel  and  out  of  sight  of  their 
strange  benefactors. 

They  found  that  the  pirates  had  liberated  the  crew 
and  passengers,  and  returned  them  to  their  vessel,  re 
taining  only  the  rich  cargo. 

Having  been  well  supplied  with  funds,  in  gold, 
when  they  left  home,  which  Albert  had  about  his  per 
son  when  taken  up  by  the  pirates,  they  found  no  diffi 
culty,  on  reaching  France,  in  making  their  way  to 
England,  and  thence  to  the  United  States. 

On  the  voyages  Albert  perused  the  Scriptures  with 
great  attention,  not  only  because  Mary  had  urged  him 
to  do  so,  but  because  he  felt  that  he  needed  to  be  in 
formed  of  the  true  nature  and  character  of  what  was 
claimed  to  be  sacred  writings.  He  was  careful  to 
avoid  conversation  on  the  subject  during  the  progress 
of  his  investigations;  and  Mary  herself  was  not, 
after  her  last  interview  with  Mr.  Gracelius,  sufficiently 
quieted  in  her  own  mind  to  give  expression  to  her 
thoughts. 

It  was  in  November,  when  an  Indian  summer  was 
augmenting  the  beauty  of  the  scenery  about  the  har 
bor  of  New  York,  that  our  young  friends  were  sitting 


118  NARRATIVE  OF 

together  in  Mary's  spacious  state-room  on  board  the 
noble  vessel  which  was  just  passing  Staten  Island. 

"Albert,"  said  Mary,  with  deep  emotion,  and  the 
tear  in  her  eye,  "  I  have  become  an  Abolitionist." 

"  And  I,"  said  Albert,  with  yet  deeper  emphasis, 
"  have  become  a  Christian." 

"  Thank  God— thank  God !"  exclaimed  Mary.  "  O, 
Albert,  I  cannot  tell  you  how  happy  I  am  to  hear  you 
say  so.  But  I  do  not  need  any  explanation,  for  I  see 
through  it  all.  The  pirates  have  made  me  an  Abo 
litionist,  and  the  Bible  has  made  you  a  Christian.  I 
have  now  learned  how  to  understand  its  teachings, 
and  you  have  learned  that  the  precious  volume  has 
been  grievously  tortured  to  uphold  the  evil  instead  of 
the  good." 

"It  is  even  so,  Mary,"  replied  Albert.  "  I  have 
been  reading  and  studying  with  an  earnest  desire  for 
truth.  I  find  much,  in  the  Old  Testament,  calculated 

to  bewilder,  and  much  that  requires  the  New  Testa- 

* 
ment  to  explain.     I  find,  scattered  through  the  Old 

Testament,  holy  principles  that  are  brought  into  full 
relief  by  Jesus  Christ,  who  has,  by  his  example,  and 
in  his  instructions  to  his  disciples,  elucidated  what 
was  obscure  and  rejected  from  the  claims  of  divine 


ALBERT  AND  MARY.  119 

authority  what  was  only  Jewish  misconception.  lam 
satisfied  that  it  does  not  uphold  violence,  oppression, 
and  wrong,  and  throw  around  these  things  the  sanc 
tion  of  the  divine  mind.  I  find  that  everything 
taught  by  Jesus  Christ  is  in  full  harmony  with  the 
most  benevolent  and  honorable  feelings  of  the  human 
heart,  and  with  the  highest  sense  of  justice  and 
consciousness  of  right,  and  is  diametrically  opposed 
to  all  base  carnal  passions  and  affections,  and  to  all 
that  is  violative  of  human  equality  and  brotherhood. 

"  I  believe  in  Jesus  Christ.  And  I  had  the  ideal 
of  such  a  Saviour  for  man  before  I  saw  that  the  Jesus 
of  the  New  Testament  is  the  true  Captain  of  Salva 
tion.  And  now  I  find  that  such  a  Saviour  really  ex 
ists,  I  am  willing  to  follow  his  leadings,  although  I 
know  it  will  require  self-denials  and  sacrifices.  I  tell 
you,  Mary,  I  found  out  from  reading  the  Bible  that  I 
was  an  unregenerated  man,  and  needed  God's  spirit 
to  purify  and  sanctify  my  heart ;  and  I  have  learned 
this  from  studying  carefully  the  life  and  doctrines  of 
Christ,  who,  in  the  flesh,  gave  a  full  manifestation  of 
the  godhead,  and  by  his  righteousness  brought  to  my 
own  view  my  unrighteousness. 

"  I  read  of  Jesus  dying  on  the  cross  rather  than  not 


120  NABEATIYE  OF 

carry  out  every  jot  and  every  tittle  of  the  divine  mo 
rality,  and  every  principle  of  pure  and  undefiled  re 
ligion.  I  stand  in  admiration  of  this  divine  heroism. 
I  learn  farther  that  his  great  mission  was  to  induce 
sinful  man  to  abandon  his  sins  and  become  reconciled 
to  God ;  and  that  it  was  in  carrying  out  this  mission 
that  he  subjected  himself  to  the  tortures  of  the  cross. 
Under  the  influence  of  God's  Spirit,  this  brings  me  to 
true  repentance,  and  I  determine  to  reform  by  taking 
Jesus  as  my  exemplar  and  the  captain  of  my  salva 
tion.  I  am  thus  made  reconciled  to  God's  law,  and 
feel  pardoned  for  the  past  and  hopeful  for  the  future. 
My  faith  in  Christ  gives  me  strength  to  live  the  life 
of  a  Christian,  and  thus  I  am  saved.  Jesus  Christ's 
death  has  in  this  way  reconciled  me  to  God,  and 
being  thereby  brought  into  harmony  with  God,  God 
is  reconciled  to  me.  Jesus  Christ  therefore  making 
atonement  or  reconciliation  for  me,  has  truly  suffered 
in  my  stead.  That  is  to  say,  his  suffering  in  order  to 
impress  me  with  my  obligations  to  God  and  his  law, 
has  by  reconciling  me  to  God's  law,  kept  .me  from  suf 
fering  the  penalty  of  law.  And  when  I  think  that 
God  made  this  provision  for  this  fallen  woild — that 
lie  gave  Ids  only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  be- 


ALBEET  AND  MARY.  121 

lieveth  in  him  should  not  perish  but  have  eternal 
life,  and  I  realize  it  all  with  trust  and  confidence,  I 
feel  that  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  within  me.  I  am 
truly  happy." 

"  My  dear  Albert,"  responded  Mary,  "  you  make 
me  to  see  all  this  in  a  new  light.  I  confess  I  never 
before  properly  understood  the  doctrine  of  the  atone 
ment.  I  did  not  before  understand  that  atonement 
for  man,  and  reconciliation  between  God  and  man, 
were  one  and  the  same  thing.  But  I  now  perceive 
that  there  is  no  atonement  unless  we  become  Christ- 
like;  and  that  just  in  proportion  as  we  are  Christ-like, 
we  are  in  harmony  with  God,  and  are  thus  far  saved. 
God  converts  the  soul  from  the  love  of  sin  to  the 
love  of  Christ,  and  that  love  of  Christ  insures  obedi 
ence  to  his  commandments  to  the  fall  measure  of  our 
knowledge.  To  be  clothed  upon  then  with  the  righte 
ousness  of  Christ,  and  to  have  Christ's  righteousness 
imputed  to  us,  are  not  terms  signifying  a  righteous 
ness  extraneous  from  ourselves,  and  only  regarded  in 
place  of  righteousness  in  us,  but  really  and  truly  to 
manifest  a  righteousness  which  will  be  seen  and  rec 
ognized  by  our  ownselves  and  others  as  a  righteous 
ness  derived  from  Christ,  because  we  live  as  Christ 


122  NARRATIVE  OF 

would  have  us  to  live.  0  how  pleasant  it  is  to  see 
the  matter  in  so  clear  a  light  I" 

"  And  now,"  said  Albert,  "  I  wish  to  know  how  it 
is  you  a  little  while  ago  called  yourself  an  Abolition 
ist.  Did  you  really  mean  what  you  said  in  its  fall 
import?" 

"  Yes  I  did,"  replied  Mary.  "  That  argument  made 
by  Mr.  Gracelius  was  so  exactly  similar  to  the  mode 
of  interpreting  the  Scriptures  in  behalf  of  slavery, 
that  I  at  once  saw  if  it  were  good  for  slavery,  it  was 
just  as  good  in  defence  of  piracy ;  and  that  I  must 
give  up  the  Bible  under  such  a  mode  of  interpreta 
tion,  or  admit  that  piracy  itself  is  sanctioned  by  the 
Bible.  I  could  not  give  up  my  precious  Bible,  for  I 
have  felt  so  much  of  its  hallowed  influences  upon  my 
soul,  that  I  could  not  think  of  parting  from  it.  I 
have,  like  yourself,  spent  this  vo}~age  studying  it  with 
great  care,  and  whatever  may  be  the  criticisms  of  the 
learned  upon  words,  I  am  certain  that  the  whole 
spirit  of  Christianity,  as  developed  before  and  since 
Christ,  utterly  condemns  any  and  every  system,  or 
practice,  or  principle  which  does  not  recognize  all 
men  as  brethren.  And  I  also  perceive  that  many 
things  have  been  wrested  from  their  original  meaning 


ALBERT  AND  MARY.  123 

to  subserve  the  purposes  of  oppression  and  tyranny. 
I  now  so  read  that  good  book,  that  I  discriminate  be 
tween  the  erroneous  ideas  and  practices  of  the  Jews 
and  the  divine  law — between  historical  facts  and  tra 
ditional  inferences — between  man's  misconceptions 
and  the  true  principles  of  religion.  I  now  can  and  do 
see  from  the  Bible  itself  that  slavery  is  all  wrong ; 
and  being  so,  I  am  obliged  to  be  an  Abolitionist ;  for 
I  know  that  no  Christian  ought  to  continue  the  prac 
tice  of  what  is  wrong  in  itself  on  any  consideration. 
But,  Albert,  how  was  it  that  you  who  did  not  believe 
in  the  Bible,  became  an  Abolitionist  ?" 

"  Why,  Mary,  the  truth  is,  I  did  not  believe  in  the 
Bible,  because,  being  an  Abolitionist,  professed  Chris 
tians  and  ministers  instructed  me  that  the  Bible 
sanctioned  slavery,  and  that  it  required  obedience  to 
earthly  masters  and  rulers,  even  although  their  com 
mands  and  laws  be  contrary  to  the  divine  law.  This 
was  so  contrary  to  my  sense  of  natural  right,  that  I 
said  to  myself  I  cannot  honor  the  true  God  by  sub 
mitting  to  the  authority  of  the  Bible ;  and  therefore 
it  was  I  took  an  utter  aversion  to  the  Bible.  My 
respect  for  my  parents  prevented  me  from  telling 
them  when  they  would  urge  me  to  read  the  Bible, 


124  KAEEATIVE  OF 

that  their  own  views  and  practice  had  already  con 
vinced  me  that  it  was  an  unrighteous  book;  for  I 
couM  not  believe  that  my  father  would  hold  slaves 
under  any  conviction  of  its  rightfulness  drawn  from 
nature,  and  that  my  mother  would  treat  the  blacks  as 
she  did,  had  she  been  governed  by  her  natural  sense 
of  justice ;  but  that  by  early  education  in  the  Bible, 
they  had  been  trained  to  regard  slaveholding  perfectly 
compatible  with  the  divine  law,  and  the  black  as  some 
heathenish  being,  whom  it  was  no  oppression  to  en 
slave.  But  now  having  examined  the  Bible  with 
care,  I  see  that  they  who  take  that  Book  to  justify 
the  enslaving  of  men,  have  been  most  dreadfully 
deluded." 

"  "Well,  Albert,"  said  Mary,  "  you  know  the  obliga 
tions  of  Christianity  require  action  as  well  as  senti 
ment.  If  we  are  Christians  truly,  we  have  to  serve 
Christ  fully.  We  dare  not,  therefore,  withhold  our 
testimony  against  slavery  any  more  than  against  any 
other  crime.  How  then  can  we  return  to  Carolina  ? 
We  cannot  be  happy  there  amidst  an  institution  which 
we  abhor." 

"Mary,  like  yourself,  I  now  feel,"  said  Albert, 
"that  a  Christian  must  not  hide  his  light  under  a 


ALBERT  AND  MART.  125 

bushel.  "We  must  speak  for  the  dumb  and  for  the 
truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus.  But  with  such  views  and  in 
tentions  we  would  not  be  suffered  in  South  Carolina. 
What,  then,  are  we  to  do  ?" 

Mary,  after  a  few  moments'  meditation,  answered, 
"Albert,  our  parents  think  we  were  lost  with  the 
Pulaski.  Let  it  stand  so.  They  will  suffer  more 
if  we  go  back  to  them  with  such  sentiments  as  we 
now  entertain.  And  for  your  sake,  and  for  our 
parents'  sake,  and  for  the  sake  of  Christ,  I  am  will 
ing  to  sacrifice  all  my  worldly  prospects  and  try  to 
make  a  living  by  my  own  exertions  in  some  place 
where  my  own  feelings  will  not  be  shocked  with*  the 
perpetual  violation  of  Christian  law  by  my  own  slave- 
holding  relatives,  and  where  I  shall  not  be  myself  an 
annoyance  to  them." 

Here  their  dialogue  was  interrupted  by  the  arrival 
of  the  ship  at  the  wharf,  and  in  a  short  time  our  young 
friends  were  safely  landed  in  New  York. 

Suffice  it  to  say,  in  conclusion,  that  they  both  agreed 
never  more  to  be  dependent  on  the  wealth  of  their 
parents, — assured  as  they  were  that  all  they  could 
bestow  upon  them  would  be  the  product  of  unrequited 
toil.  They  were  soon  united  in  holy  wedlock,  and, 


126  NAREATIVE  OF 

after  engaging  in  teaching  an  academy  a  short  time, 
Albert  became  a  faithful  and  zealous  minister  of  the 
gospel ;  and  he  and  his  loving  wife  in  process  of  time 
succeeded  in  revealing  their  situation  to  their  parents? 
in  such  terms  as  to  reconcile  them  to  their  anti-slavery 
views,  and  to  induce  them  finally  to  emancipate  their 
slaves. 

They  are  all  living  happily  in  moderate  circum 
stances,  in  a  little  town  in  one  of  the  free  States, — in 
the  direct  line  of  the  "  under-ground  railroad ;"  and 
many  a  poor  fugitive  finds  a  comfortable  shelter  in 
either  of  their  humble  cottages. 

A  short  time  since,  Mary  was  reading  the  discussion 
between  Dr.  AVayland  and  Dr.  Fuller,  on  the  subject 
of  slavery,  and  was  startled  to  find  the  very  words  of 
Mr.  Gracelius  and  his  identical  argument,  used  by  the 
champion  of  American  slavery. 

"  Albert,"  said  she  to  her  husband,  u  would  you  be 
lieve  it,  Dr.  Fuller  and  Mr.  Gracelius  are  one  and  the 
same  person." 

"  It  surely  cannot  be !"  said  Albert.  But  to  this 
day  the  matter  looks  very  mysterious  to  them.  And 
it  is  hoped  that  Dr.  Fuller  or  Dr.  "Wayland  wi11  ex- 


ALBERT  AND  MARY.  127 

plain  the  coincidence  of  the  arguments  in  some  satis- 
manner. 


Coil  airt  Crust 


nnHIS  is  the  motto  of  all  persons  sincerely  disposed 
to  embrace  the  cross  of  the  anti-slavery  enterprise. 
The  duty  it  imposes  is  two-fold  ;  1.  To  toil  for  the 
spread  of  the  truth  ;  and  2.  To  trust  to  the  dissipation 
of  error.  The  most  potent  barrier  set  Tip  against  the 
opponents  of  slavery  is  made  of  the  prejudices  care 
fully  instilled  into  the  popular  mind  against  them. 
I  propose,  in  brief,  to  point  out  their  origin. 

It  is  sedulously  inculcated  : 

1.  That  anti-slavery  is  a  pure  sectional  feeling,  and 
springs  from  jealousy  of  the  South. 

Fifty  years  ago  this  idea  might  fairly  have  been 
entertained.  Many  of  the  arguments  then  used  have 
no  better  root  than  political  jealousy.  But  it  is  not  so 
now.  The  ruling  objection  at  present  is,  that  slavery 
is  WRONG,  no  matter  where  it  may  be  found  ;  that  it 


TOIL  AND  TRUST.  129 

Is  a  moral  evil,  and  an  offence  against  religion,  not 
less  than  a  great  political  curse ;  that  indifference  to 
it  among  good  men  encourages  its  extension  among 
bad  men  ;  and  that  nothing  but  resolute  and  universal 
condemnation  of  it  in  every  form  will  stimulate  to 
its  abolition.  How  far  tlieso  views  are  from  jealousy 
of  the  South,  must  appear  obvious  enough  to  all  who 
reflect  that  those  who  entertain  them,  consider  the 
result  to  be  arrived  at  as  one  which  must  spring  from 
the  voluntary  convictions  of  those  most  affected  by 
it,  that  they  are  getting  rid  of  the  only  serious  draw 
back  to  their  own  prosperity.  O"  course,  then,  it  is 
the  best  interests  of  the  South, — their  strength,  moral, 
social,  and  political, — that  anti-slavery  men  bclievo 
they  are  promoting,  by  their  course. 

2.  That  the  enemies  of  slavery  desire  to  subvert 
the  Constitution  and  to  dissolve  the  Union. 

Possibly,  a  few  impatient  spirits  may  have  got  so 
far.  They  constitute,  however,  but  a  very  small 
portion  of  the  number  included  in  the  term.  Nine- 
tenths  of  these  hold  that  neither  the  Constitution  nor 
the  Union  should  bo  brought  into  question  at  all. 
They  consider  that  the  resort  to  them  as  a  protection 

and  safeguard  to   slavery,  by    ill-judging  and  rasli 

6*   " 


130  TOIL  AND  TRUST. 

conservatives,  has  done  more  to  put  them  into  serious 
danger,  than  the  acts  of  all  others  combined  during 
the  present  century.  Any  man  who  relies  upon  a 
good  government  to  sustain  acknowledged  evil,  does 
much  to  modify  the  notions  of  goodness  which  honest 
and  conscientious  men  have  entertained  respecting 
that  government.  He  furnishes  an  entering  wedge 
for  doubt  and  distrust,  which,  if  not  removed,  will 
grow  into  aversion.  Anti-slavery  men  reason  differ 
ently.  They  separate  slavery  from  the  Constitu 
tion  and  the  Union,  and,  by  seeking  to  destroy  the 
former,  desire  to  perpetuate  the  latter.  They  hold, 
that  against  the  concentrated  moral  sentiment  of  the 
whole  country,  acting  through  its  legitimate  public 
channels,  and  aided  by  the  prayers  and  the  hopes 
of  all  the  civilized  world,  it  would  be  much  more 
difficult  to  maintain  slavery  in  the  States,  than  if  the 
dangers  of  general  misgovernment  and  disunion  were 
to  come  in  to  distract  the  public  attention,  and  open 
up  social  disasters  of  a  worse  kind  than  those  which 
they  seek  to  remedy. 

3.  The  spirit  of  this  reform  is  denunciatory,  violent, 
and  prescriptive. 

It  is  inevitable  that  all  movements  directed  against 


TOIL  AND  TEUST.  131 

the  established  errors  of  communities  originate  with 
men  more  or  less  fanatical  in  spirit.  None  but  they 
have  the  necessary  elements  of  character  to  advance 
at  all.  But,  as  others  become  convinced  of  the  fun 
damental  truths  which  they  utter,  the  tendency  of  their 
association  is  to  modify  and  soften  the  tone,  and  make 
it  more  nearly  -approximate  the  correct  sentiment. 
At  this  period,  there  is  quite  as  much  of  liberality 
among  anti-slavery  men  as  is  consistent  with  a  deter 
mined  maintenance  of  their  general  purpose.  Though 
disposed  to  be  just  to  all  who  conscientiously  differ 
with  them  in  opinion,  they  cannot  overlook  the  fact 
that  many  honest  persons  are  too  indifferent,  and 
more  are  to6  compromising  in  their  views  of  slavery. 
To  rouse  the  one,  and  alarm  the  other  class  into,  a 
conviction  of  their  responsibility  for  their  apathy,  is 
one  of  the  most  imperative  duties.  It  may  be  that 
this  is  not  always  done  in  the  most  courtly  or  the 
choicest  terms.  Some  allowances  must  be  made  for 
the  spirit  of  liberty.  These  cases  form,  however,  the 

exception,  and  not  the  rule,  among  anti-slavery  men. 

^ 
The  great  majority  well  comprehend  that  the  greatest 

results  will  follow  efforts  made  without  bitterness  of 
temper.  They  remember  that  whilst  the  Saviour 


132  TOIL  AND  TRUST. 

denounced  without  stint  the  formal  scribe,  the  hollow 
Pharisee,  and  the  greedy  money-changer,  he  chose 
for  his  sphere  of  exertion  the  society  of  publicans  and 
sinners. 

4.  Anti- slavery  men  seek  to  set  slaves  against  their 
masters,  at  the  risk  of  the  lives  and  -  happiness  of 
both. 

This  impression,  which  is  much  the  most  common, 
is,  at  the  same  time,  the  least  founded  in  truth  of  all. 
No  evidence,  worthy  of  a  moment's  credit,  has  ever 
been  produced,  implicating  any  class  of  them  in  a 
suspicion  of  the  kind.  Nothing  proves  the  absence 
of  all  malignity  towards  the  slaveholders  more  clearly 
than  this.  If  they  sought  really  to  injure* them,  what 
could  be  more  easy  than  to  stimulate  disaffection  along 
so  extensive  a  line  of  boundary  as  that  of  the  slave 
States  ?  Probably  few  of  them  entertain  any  doubt 
of  the  abstract  right  of  the  slave  to  free  himself  from 
the  condition  in  which  he  is  kept  against  his  own  con 
sent,  in  any  manner  practicable.  How  easy  then  the 
step  from  this  opinion  to  an  act  of  encouragement ! 
That  it  has  never  been  taken  furnishes  the  most  con 
clusive  proof  of  the  falsity  of  the  popular  impression, 
and  of  the  moderations  of  the  anti-slavery  men,  who 


TOIL  AND  TRUST.  133 

seek  only,  in  the  moral  convictions  of  the  masters,  for 
the  source  of  freedom  to  the  slaves. 

But  though  it  be  true  that  all  these  common  im 
pressions  are  delusions  strewn  in  the  way  of  anti- 
slavery  men  to  impair  the  effect  of  their  exertions,  it 
by  no  means  follows  that  they  should  be  induced  by 
them  to  assume  a  moderation  which  encourages 
sluggishness.  No  great  movement  in  human  affairs 
can  be  made  without  zeal,  energy,  and  perseverance. 
It  must  be  animated  by  a  strong  will,  and  tempered 
by  a  benevolent  purpose.  Such  is  the  shape  which 
the  anti-slavery  reform  is  gradually  assuming.  Its 
motto,  then,  should  be,  as  was  said  in  the  beginning : 


QUINCT,  10  July,  1853. 


,$neiiHji|)  for  tlje  §(abc  is  If  ncu&sljijj  for 
t|c  faster. 

TT  is  a  mistake  on  the  part  of  the  people  of  the 
south  to  suppose  that  those  who  desire  the  extinc 
tion  of  slavery,  whether  residing  in  America  or  Eng 
land,  are  actuated  by  unfriendly  feelings  toward  them 
personally,  or  by  any  hostility  to  the  pecuniary  or 
social  interests  of  their  section  of  country.  The  most 
important  and  influential  classes  of  the  population, 
both  of  England  and  of  the  northern  States  of  this 
Union,  have  a  direct  and  strong  pecuniary  interest  at 
stake,  in  the  prosperity  and  welfare  of  the  south.  If 
the  people  of  Massachusetts  or  those  of  Lancashire 
were  employed  in  raising  cotton  and  sugar,  and  if  the 
prices  which  they  obtained  for  their  produce  were 
kept  down  by  southern  competition,  then  there  might 
perhaps  be  some  ground  for  suspecting  a  covert  hos 
tility  in  any  action  or  influence  which  they  might  at 
tempt  to  exert  on  such  a  question.  Bat  the  contrary 


FRIENDSHIP  FOR  THE  SLAVE.       135 

is  the  fact.  New  England  and  Old  England  manufac 
ture  and  consume  the  cotton  and  sugar  which  the 
south  produces.  They  are  directly  and  deeply  inter 
ested  in  having  the  production  of  these  articles  go  on 
in  the  most  advantageous  manner  possible.  The 
southern  planter  is  not  their  competitor  and  rival.  He 
is  their  partner.  His  work  is  to  them  and  to  their 
pursuits  one  of  co-operation  and  aid.  Consequently 
his  prosperity  is  their  prosperity,  and  his  ruin  would 
be  an  irretrievable  disaster,  not  a  benefit,  to  them. 
They  are  thus  naturally  his  friends,  and,  consequently, 
when  in  desiring  a  change  in  the  relation  which  sub 
sists  between  him  and  his  laborers,  they  declare  that 
they  are  not  actuated  by  any  unfriendly  feeling  to 
ward  him,  but  honestly  think  that  the  change  would 
be  beneficial  to  all  concerned,  there  is  every  reason 
why  they  should  be  believed. 

There  was  a  time  when  the  laboring  population  of 
England  occupied  a  position  in  respect  to  the  pro 
prietors  of  the  soil  there,  very  analogous  to  that  now 
held  by  African  slaves  in  our  country.  Bat  the  sys 
tem  has  been  changed.  From  being  serfs,  compelled 
to  toil  for  masters,  under  the  influence  of  compulsion 
or  fear,  they  have  become  a  free  peasantry,  working 


136       FRIENDSHIP  FOR  THE  SLAVE. 

ia  the  employment  of  landlords,  for  wages.  But  this 
change  has  not  depressed  or  degraded  the  landlords, 
or  injured  them  in  any  way.  On  the  contrary,  it  has 
probably  elevated  and  improved  the  condition  of  the 
master  quite  as  much  as  it  has  that  of  the  man. 

Imagine  such  a  change  as  this  on  any  southern 
plantation :  the  Christian  master  desiring  conscien 
tiously  to  obey  the  divine  command, — given  expressly 
for  his  guidance;  in  his  responsible  relation  of  ern- 
plo}*cr, — that  he  should  "give  unto  his  servants  that 
which  is  just  and  equal, — forbearing  threatening," — re 
solves  that  he  will  hencsforth  induce  industry  on  his 
estate  by  the  payment  of  honest  wages,  instead  of 
coercing  his  laborers  by  menaces  and  s'ripcs;  and  after 
carefully  considering  the  whole  ground,  he  estimate?, 
as  fairly  and  faithfully  as  ho  can,  what  proportion  of 
the  whole  avails  of  his  culture  properly  belong  to  the 
labor  performed  by  his  men,  and  what  to  the  capital, 
skill,  and  supervision,  furnished  and  exercised  by  him 
self, — and  then  fixes  upon  a  rate  of  wages,  graduating 
the  scale  fairly  and  honestly  according  to  the  strength, 
the  diligence,  and  the  fidelity  of  the  various  laborers. 
Suppose,  also,  that  some  suitable  arrangement  is  made 
oa  the  plantation  or  in  the  vicinity,  by  which  the  ser- 


FRIENDSHIP  FOR  THE  SLAVE.      137 

vants  can  expend  what  they  earn,  in  such  comforts, 
ornaments,  or  luxuries  as  are  adapted  to  their  con 
dition  and  their  ideas.  Suppose  that,  in  consequence 
of  the  operation  of  this  system,  the  laborers,  instead  of 
desiring,  as  now,  to  make  their  escape  from  the  scene 
of  labor,  should  each  prize  and  value  his  place  in  it, 
and  fear  dismission  from  it  as  a  punishment.  Suppose 
that  through  the  change  which  this  new  state  of  things 
should  produce,  it  should  become  an  agreeable  and 
honorable  duty  to  superintend  and  manage  the  system, 
as  it  is  now  agreeable  and  honorable  to  superintend 
the  operations  of  a  manufactory,  or  the  construction  or 
working  of  a  railway,  or  the  building  of  a  fortress,  or 
any  other  organized  system  of  industry  where  the 
workmen  are  paid,  and  that  consequently,  instead  of 
rude  and  degraded  overseers,  intemperate  and  pro 
fane,  extorting  labor  by  threats  and  severity,  there 
should  be  found  a  class  of  intelligent,  humane,  and 
honest  men,  to  direct  and  superintend  the  industry  of 
the  estate, — men  whom  the  proprietor  would  not  be 
ashamed  to  associate  with,  or  to  admit  to  his  parlor  or 
table.  In  a  word,  suppose  that  the  general  content 
ment  and  happiness  which  the  new  system  would  in 
duce  in  all  concerned  in  it,  were  such  that  peace  of 


138      FRIENDSHIP  FOR  THE  SLAVE. 

mind  should  return  to  the  master's  breast,  now, — espe 
cially  in  hours  of  sickness  and  suffering,  and  at  the 
approach  of  death, — so  often  disturbed,  and  a  sense  of 
safety  be  restored  to  his  family,  so  that  it  should  no 
longer  be  necessary  to  keep  the  pistols  or  the  rifle 
always  at  hand,  and  that  the  wife  and  children  could 
lie  down  and  sleep  at  night,  without  starting  at  un 
usual  or  sudden  sounds,  or  apprehending  insurrection 
when  they  hear  the  cry  of  fire.  Suppose  that  such  a 
change  as  this  were  possible,  is  it  the  part  of  a  friend 
or  an  enemy  to  desire  to  have  it  effected  ? 

But  all  such  suppositions  as  these,  the  southern  man 
will  perhaps  say,  are  visionary  and  Utopian  in  the 
highest  degree.  No  such  state  of  things  as  is  contem 
plated  by  them,  can  by  any  possibility  be  realized 
with  such  a  population  as  the  southern  slaves.  Very 
well ;  say  this,  if  you  please,  and  prove  it,  if  it  can  be 
proved.  But  do  not  charge  those  who  desire  that  it 
might  be  realized,  with  being  actuated,  in  advocating 
the  change,  by  unfriendly  feelings  towards  you, — for 
most  assuredly  they  do  not  entertain  any. 


Cfjristhu, 


"  0,  theso  childen,  how  they  do  lie  round  our  hearts."  —  MILLY  ED- 
MONDSON. 


clock  struc  the  appointed  hour,  and  the 
sale  commenced.  Articles  of  household  furniture, 
horses,  carts,  and  slaves,  were  waiting  together  to  be  sold 
to  the  highest  bidder.  For  strange  as  it  would  seem 
in  another  land  than  this,  beneath  the  ample  folds  of 
the  "  Star-spangled  Banner,"  human  sinews  were  to  be 
bought  and  sold.  Bodies,  such  as  the  Apostle  called 
the  "  temples  of  the  Holy  Ghost,"  in  which  dwelt 
souls  for  which  Christ  died  ;  —  men,  women  and  little 
children,  made  in  the  image  of  God,  were  classed  with 
marketable  commodities,  to  be  sold  by  the  pound,  like 
dumb  beasts  in  the  shambles.  Husbands  would  be 
torn  from  their  wives,  mothers  from  their  children, 
and  all  from  everything  they  loved  most  dearly. 


140  CHRISTINE. 

The  group  of  human  chattels  excited  great  interest 
among  the  lookers-on,  for  they  were  a  choice  lot  of 
prime  negroes,  and  rumor  said  that  he  would  get  a 
rare  bargain  who  bought  that  day. 

It  was  a  saddening  sight,  that  dusky  group,  whose 
only  crime  was  being 


a  sn 
Xot  colored  like  our  own," 

as  they  waited  with  anxious  looks  and  quivering 
hearts  to  hear  their  doom,  filling  up  the  dreary  mo 
ments  with  thoughts  of  the  chances  and  changes 
which  overhung  their  future. 

A  bright-eyed  boy,  of  twelve  years  old, 

"  A  brave,  free-hearted,  careless  one," 

with  a  proud  spirit  playing  in  every  line  of  his  hand 
some  face,  and  in  every  movement  of  his  graceful 
form,  was  first  called  to  the  auction-block.  His  good 
qualities  were  rapidly  enumerated,  his  limbs  rudely 
examined,  his  soundness  vouched  for,  and  he  became 
the  chattel  personal  of  a  Georgian,  who  boasted  of  his 
good  bargain  ;  and  on  being  warned  that  he  would 
have  trouble  with  the  boy,  declared  with  an  oath,  that 
he  would  "  soon  take  the  devil  out  of  him." 


CHRISTINE.  141 

Matty,  a  sister  of  this  lad,  was  next  placed  upon  the 
stand.  Her  beauty,  which  the  excitement  of  that 
dreadful  moment  only  served  to  heighten,  hushed  for 
awhile  the  coarse  jests  of  the  crowd.  She  was  a 
splendid-looking  creature,  just  entering  upon  woman 
hood.  But  her  beauty  proved,  as  beauty  must  ever 
prove  to  a  slave  woman,  a  deadly  curse.  It  enhanced 
her  market  value,  and  sealed  her  deadly  fate.  It  at 
tracted  the  eye,  and  inflamed  the  passions  of  a  wealthy 
Louisianian,  named  St.  Laurent,  who  gave  a  thousand 
dollars  in  hard  gold  in  exchange  for  her,  that  he 
might  make  her  his  petted  favorite.  "Wives,  mothers, 
daughters  of  America,  have  you  nothing  to  do  with 
slavery,  when  such  is  the  fate  of  slave  women  ?  Can 
you  sit  silent,  and  at  your  ease,  knowing  that  such 
things  are  ? 

When  Matty  was  removed  from  the  auction-block, 
she  fell  upon  her  brother's  neck,  and  wept  such  tears 
as  only  they  can  weep  whom  slavery  parts,  never  to 
meet  again. 

"  Christine  1"  cried  the  loud  voice  of  the  auctioneer. 
Matty  checked  her  passionate  grief,  and  turning  saw 
her  mother,  with  her  baby  in  her  arms,  standing  where 
she  herself  had  stood  but  just  before.  Quickly  her 


142  CHRISTINE. 

keen  eye  sought  the  form  of  her  new  master.  With 
a  sudden  impulse  she  threw  herself  at  his  feet,  ex 
claiming,  "  O  master,  master,  do  buy  my  mother  too !" 
The  man  gazed  for  a  moment  on  the  beautiful  face 
upturned  to  his,  with  a  look  which  made  the  lashes 
droop  over  her  pleading  eyes,  and  tapping  her  cheek 
with  his  finger,  he  said, 

"  What  I  coaxing  so  early,  my  pretty  one  ?  No, 
no ;  it  will  not  do ;  I  have  no  use  for  the  old 
woman." 

"  Oh,  master,  she  is  not  old.  Do  buy  my  mother, 
master !" 

"  Here  is  a  prize  for  you,  gentlemen,"  broke  in  the 
harsh  tones  of  the  auctioneer.  "  There  is  the  best 
housekeeper  and  cook  in  all  Virginia.  Who  bids  for 
her  ?  $300  did  you  say,  sir  ?  $325 — thanks,  gentle 
men,  but  I  cannot  sell  this  woman  for  a  song.  She  is 
an  excellent  seamstress.  $400 — $450 — $500 — I  am 
glad  to  see  you  are  warming  up  a  little,  gentlemen, — 
but  she  is  worth  more  money  than  that.  Look  at 
her !  What  a  form !  what  an  eye !  what  arms ! — there 
is  muscle  for  you,  gentlemen.  Upon  my  honor  she  is 
the  flower  of  the  lot, — a  dark-colored  rose, — black,  but 
comely;  and  her  baby  goes  with  her,  $550,  did  I 


CHRISTINE.  143 

hear  you  say,  sir  ?  "Will  no  one  give  more  than  $550 
for  such  a  woman  and  baby  ?" 

"  The  baby  is  of  no  account,-"  said  Mr.  St.  Laurent ; 
"  she  would  sell  better  without  it.  If  I  buy  her,  I 
shall  give  away  the  little  encumbrance." 

The  poor  slave-mother  heard  him,  and  strained  her 
baby  to  her  bosom,  as  if  she  would  say,  "  You  shall 
never  take  him  from  me."  The  boy  looked  into  her 
face,  and  smiled  a  sweet  baby  smile,  and  put  his  little 
arms  about  her  neck,  and  laid  his  cheek  on  hers.  One 
would  have  thought  he  understood  what  was  passing 
in  her  heart,  and  strove  to  comfort  her.  "  $575 — $600 
— $650," — and  Christine  and  her  baby  boy  became 
the  property  of  Mr.  St.  Laurent. 

"I  would  not  have  bought  the  woman,"  said  he, 
turning  to  an  acquaintance,  "  but  for  the  girl's  impor 
tunity.  I  feared  she  would  have  the  sulks  if  I  didn't, 
and  I  want  to  keep  her  good-natured.  I  shall  give 
the  mother  as  a  wedding-present  to  my  daughter.  But 
anybody  may  have  the  child,  who  will  take  him  oft 
my  hands  ?" 

"I  will  take  him,  sir,  and  thank  you  too,"  said  a 
little,  sharp -looking,  bustling  man,  stepping  briskly 
up,  and  bowing  to  Mr.  St.  Laurent 


144  CHRISTINE. 

"  Will  yon,  my  friend  ?  Then  he  is  yours,  and  you 
may  take  him  away  as  soon  as  you  please." 

"  If  I  take  him  now,  the  woman  will  raise  a  storm," 
said  the  little  man  ;  "I  know  a  better  way  than  that," 
and  drawing  Mr.  St.  Laurent  aside,  he  communicated 
his  plan^and  they  parted. mutually  satisfied. 

Meanwhile  the  sale  went  on,  but  we  will  not  follow 
farther  its  revolting  details.  Christine,  with  her  baby 
and  Matty,  were  put  in  safe  quarters  for  the  night. 
Notwithstanding  the  intense  anxiety  that  filled  their 
minds,  and  a  superstitious  fear  in  Christine's  heart 
that  the  worst  had  not  yet  come,  an  unaccountable 
drowsiness  oppressed  them,  and  before  long  both  fell 
into  a  deep  death-like  sleep. 

Morning  broke  over  the  green  earth.  The  sun 
gilded  the  mountain-tops,  and  bathing  the  trees  in 
splendor,  was  greeted  with  ten  thousand  bird-songs. 
He  kissed  the  dewy  flowers,  and  their  fragrance  rose 
as  incense  on  the  morning  air.  He  looked  into  the 
v/indows  of  happy  homes,  and  wakened  golaen-haired 
children  to  renew  their  joyous  sports,  and  mothers, 
whose 

" souls  were  hushed  with  their  veight  of  bliss 

Like  flowers  surcharged  with  do  .v," 


CHEISTINE.  145 

sent  up  their  morning  thanksgiving  to  "  Him  who 
never  slumbers,"  for  His  protection  of  their  "  laugh 
ing  dimpled  treasures."  Suddenly  a  warm  ray  fell 
upon  the  face  of  the  sleeping  slave-mother.  She 
wakened  with  a  start,  and  with  one  wild  shriek  of 
agony  sprang  from  the  bed.  Iler  babe  was  gone. 

Why  need  we  dwell  upon  what  followed  ?  What 
pen  can  describe  the  anguish  of  the  heart-broken 
mother,  when  she  knew  that  while  under  the  influ 
ence  of  opiates  which  she  had  unwittingly  taken,  her 
boy  had  been  token  from  her,  and  that  she  should 
look  upon  her  darling's  £ico  no  more.  Mother  !  look 
at  the  darling  ncstlcr  upon  your  own  bosom,  and  ask 
yourself  how  you  would  have  fjlt  in  Christine's 
place. 

After  the  first  burst  of  agony  was  over,  she  did  not 
give  way  outwardly  to  grief.  One  might  have 
thought  she  did  not  grieve.  But  she  curried  all 
her  sorrows  in  her  heart,  till  they  had  eaten  out  her 
life. 

On  the  morning  of  Eleanore  St.  Laurent's  bridal 
day,  Christine  was  sent  for  to  perform  some  service 
for  her  young  mistress.  But  the  spoil  had  boen  taken 

out  of  the  hands  of  the  spoiler — the  bruised  heart  was 

7 


148  CHRISTINE. 

at  rest.     The  outraged  soul  had  gone  with  its  com 
plaints  to  the  bar  of  the  Eternal. 


C|e  Jntdhrtmrl,  literal,  aufr 
Cmrtitum  of 


rn  HE  American  slave  is  a  human  being.  He  pos- 
*•  sesses  all  the  attributes  of  mind  and  heart  that 
belong  to  the  rest  of  mankind.  He  has  intellect  with 
which  to  think,  sensibility  with  which  to  feel,  and  toil 
which  prompts  him  to  vigorous  and  manly  action. 
Nor  is  he  destitute  of  the  sublime  faculty  of  reason, 
which  is  related  to  eternal  and  absolute  truths. 
Imagination  and  fancy,  too,  he  possesses,  in  a  very 
large  degree.  But  all  these  faculties,  which  nature 
has  bestowed  upon  the  slave  in  common  with  other 
men,  by  a  decree  of  slavery  fixed  and  unalterable  like 
the  laws  of  the  Medes  and  Persians,  are  undeveloped, 
and  the  results,  therefore,  of  their  activities  are  not  to 
be  found.  How  mean  then  it  must  be  to  reproach 
the  unfortunate  slave  with  a  lack  of  intellectual  quail- 


148         CONDITION  OF  THE  SLAVE. 

ties,  such  as  characterize  men  generally.  In  proof  of 
the  statement,  that  slaves  have  these  qualities,  it  is 
only  necessary  to  refer  to  the  many  fugitives  who,  by 
their  great  thoughts,  their  masterly  logic,  and  their 
captivating  eloquence,  are  astonishing  both  the  Old 
and  the  New  World.  Education  is  what  the  white 
man  needs  for  the  development  of  his  intellectual 
energies.  And  it  is  what  the  black  man  needs  for 
the  development  of  his.  Educate  him,  and  his  mind 
proves  itself  at  once  as  profound  and  masterly  in  its 
conceptions,  and  as  brisk  and  irresistible  in  its  deci 
sions,  as  the  mind  of  any  other  man. 

But,  in  addition  to  his  intellectual,  the  slave  pos 
sesses  a  rnoral  nature,  capable  of  the  highest  develop 
ment  and  the  most  refined  culture.  A  conscience 
tender  and  acute,  the  voice  of  God  in  his  soul  bidding 
him  to  choose  the  right  and  avoid  the  wrong,  is  his 
lawful  inheritance  bestowed  upon  him  by  his  Heavenly 
Father.  This  no  one  can  deny  who  knows  aught  of 
the  love  of  moral  truth  manifested  by  the  slaves  of 
this  country.  God  has  not  left  the  slaves  without 
moral  sense.  Nor  has  he  denied  him  the  spiritual 
faculty  which,  when  cultivated,  enables  him  to  recog^ 
nize  God  in  his  spiritual  manifestations,  to  discern  and 


CONDITION  OF  THE  SLAVE.         149 

appreciate  spiritual  truths,  and  to  feel  and  relish  the 
gentle  distillations  of  the  spirit  of  divine  love  as  they 
fall  upon  his  heart  like  dew  upon  the  grateful  earth. 
The  moral  and  spiritual  nature  of  the  slave,  however, 
like  his  intellectual,  goes  uneducated  and  untrained. 
Deep,  dark,  and  impenetrable  is  the  gloom  which  en 
shrouds  the  mind  and  soul  of  the  slave.  No  ray  of 
light  cheers  him  in  his  midnight  darkness.  No  one 
is  allowed  to  fetch  him  the  blessings  of  education,  and 
no  preacher  of  righteousness  is  suffered  to  illumine  his 
dark  mind  by  the  presentation  of  sacred  truth. 

It  is  indeed  true  that  slavery  is  a  political,  a  civil, 
and  a  commercial  evil.  It  is  true  that  it  is  most  ex 
cruciating  and  frightful  in  its  effects  upon  the  phys 
ical  nature  of  its  victim.  But  slavery  is  seen  in  its 
more  awful  wickedness  and  terrible  heinousness,  when 
we  contemplate  the  vast  waste  of  intellect,  the  vast 
waste  of  moral  and  spiritual  energy,  which  has  been 
caused  by  its  poisonous  touch. 

And  yet  the  power  of  the  State,  and  the  influence 
of  the  Church,  are  given  to  its  support.  Many  of 
our  leading  statesmen  are  engaged  in  devising  and 
furthering  plans  for  the  extension  of  its  territorial 
area,  thereby  hoping  to  perpetuate  and  eternize  its 


150         CONDITION  OF  THE  SLAVE. 

bloody  existence,  while  the  majority  of  our  most  dis 
tinguished  divines  find  employment  in  constructing 
discourses,  founded  upon  perverse  expositions  of 
sacred  writ,  calculated  to  establish  and  fix  in  the  minds 
of  the  people  the  impression  that  slavery  is  a  divine 
institution. 

Although  this  mighty  power  of  the  State,  and  in 
fluence  of  the  Church,  be  opposed  to  the  slave,  let 
him  not  despair,  but  be  full  of  hope.  For  God  is 
upon  his  side,  truth  is  upon  his  side,  and  a  multitude 
of  good  and  able  men  and  women  are  engaged  in 
working  out  his  redemption. 


OBERIIN,  August  2Y,  1853. 


e       e  vs. 


"  "VTOTHING,"  says  Dr.  Spring,  "  is  more  plain  to 
•*-'  my  mind  than  that  the  word  of  God  recog 
nizes  the  relation  between  master  and  slave  as  one  of 
the  established  institutions  of  the  age;  and,  that 
while  it  addresses  slaves  as  Christian  men,  and 
Christian  men  as  slaveholders,  it  so  modifies  the 
whole  system  of  slavery  as  to  give  a  death-blow  .to  all 
its  abuses,  and  breathes  such  a  spirit,  that  in  the  same 
pioportion  in  which  its  principles  are  imbibed,  the 
yoke  of  bondage  will  melt  away,  all  its  abuses  cease, 
and  every  form  of  human  oppression  will  be  un 
known.  The  Bible  is  no  agitator.  It  changes  human. 
governments  only  as  it  changes  the  human  character. 
It  aims  at  transforming  the  dispositions  and  hearts  of 
men,  and  diffusing  through  all  human  institutions  the 
supreme  love  of  God,  and  the  impartial  love  of  man." 


152          THE  BIBLE  vs.  SLAVERY. 

Now,  this  either  means  that  the  Bible  requires 
that  all  institutions  be  adjusted  and  harmonized  with 
the  moral  law — the  law  of  love — or  it  means  nothing. 
For,  we  maintain,  that  slavery  is  par  se  wrong,  where 
the  enslaver  has  no  direct  warrant  from  heaven,  or 
the  enslaved  has  not  forfeited  liberty  by  crime  on 
principles  of  recognized  and  universal  equity;  and 
.the  whole  Bible  forbidding  wrong  must  be  held  as 
forbidding  slavery,  or  any  arbitrary  and  inhuman 
tarn  per  ings  with  the  inalienable  rights  of  a  fellow- 
creature. 

If  slavery  is  not  a  wrong  in  itself,  irrespective  of 
what  arc  called  its  abuses,  then  all  that  is  essential  in 
it  may  be  retained  from  age  to  age ;  and  all  the 
amelioration  which  the  Christian  law  superinduces 
rr ay  be  such  as  to  consist  with  the  violation  of 
the  natural  prerogatives  of  humanity,  and  with  the 
denial  to  man  of  the  essential  and  dearest  privileges 
of  social  and  domestic  life,  with  the  denial  of  the 
rights  of  conscience  too.  For  slavery,  as  distin 
guished  from  service  by  contract,  is  this  thing  and  no 
other: — it  is  labor  undefined,  unrewarded,  on  the 
condition  of  being  used  as  vendible  property,  and 
everv  independent  right  of  the  slave,  as  an  intellectual 


THE  BIBLE  vs.  SLAVERY.  153 

and  moral  being,  is  ignored.  By  practical  indulgence 
such  rights  may  be  sometimes  conceded.  But  the 
slave-law  ceases  as  such  when  these  are  recognized. 

Now,  we  hold  it  a  libel  on  the  Bible  to  affirm  that 
it  sanctions  such  slavery.  "We  must  warn  you  of  the 
fallacy  that  lies  in  this  distinction  of  the  thing  itself, 
and  its  abuse.  What  is  called  the  abuse  here  is  the 
essence  and  the  characteristic  of  the  subject.  Service 
as  well  as  slavery  may  be  abused.  Everything  may 
be  abused.  But,  the  claim  of  the  slaveholder  is  itself 
the  abuse  of  the  God-ordained  relation  of  master  and 
servant.  Can  men  be  regarded  as  a  chattel  ? — that  is 
the  question — and  so  regarded  without  his  consent, 
and  his  family  treated  as  such  permanently,  without  his 
f  consent,  or  even  with  it  ? 

It  comes  of  this  bad  interpretation  of  the  Christian 
law,  that  in  the  nineteenth  century  slavery  still  re 
mains, — is  cherished.  It  is  not  that  the  principles  of 
Christianity  do  not  tend  to  extinguish  it.  But  men, 
forcing  their  false  interpretation  on  the  Scriptures, 
plead  their  authority  for  a  system  or  institution,  to 
which  their  whole  spirit  is  opposed, — and  which  con 
fesses  its  unscriptural  character  by  keeping  out  Chris 
tian  light,  and  forbidding  the  Scriptures  with  the  slave. 


154          THE  BIBLE  vs.  SLAVERY. 

To  talk  of  the  spirit  of  Christianity,  in  distinction 
from  its  express  or  implied  law  against  slavery,  is  as 
if  one  would  trust  for  the  extinction  of  sin  against  the 
sixth  or  seventh  commands  of  the  decalogue,  by  gen 
eral  inculcation  of  meekness  or  purity,  without  de 
nouncing  murder  and  denning  it,  or  denning  between 
allowed  and  disallowed  affinity  in  the  marriage  law. 
We  may  if  we  do  not  proscribe  theft,  and  bring  the 
positive  law  of  God  to  bear  against  it,  and  bring 
a  law  into  harmony  with  the  divine,  be  iinderstood, 
while  we  talk  only  of  the  abuses  of  property,  as  warn 
ing  rather  against  spending  stolen  goods  in  a  bad 
way,  than  against  theft  itself?  But  the  design  of  the 
moral  law  is  to  define  rights,  as  well  as  to  govern  the 
use  of  them ;  and  it  requires  that  not  only  the  tempers 
of  men,  but  the  institutions  of  society,  be  adjusted  by 
the  law  of  equity  and  charity.  It  forbids  not  only 
the  abuse  of  just  power,  but  all  false  usurpations  of 
power,  and  classes  man-stealers  and  extortioners  as 
murderers. 

Who,  if  he  but  examines  the  laws  of  social  and  rela, 
tive  duty,  as  laid  down  in  the  New  Testament  Epistles, 
may  not  discern  that  the  relation  of  master  and  ser 
vant  is  recognized  side  by  side  with  the  permanent 


THE  BIBLE  vs.  SLAVERY.          155 

relations  of  parent  and  child,  husband  and  wife,  which 
rest  on  the  law  of  nature ;  just  because  it  is  not  the 
temporary,  unnatural,  and  violent  relation  of  slave 
holder  and  slave  which  is  recognized,  but  that  of 
master  and  servant  by  contract.  The  other,  its  very 
apologists  allow,  will  pass  away ;  but  these  duties  are 
enhanced  in  a  law  of  permanent  application,  and  rest 
on  natural  principles,  common  to  all  times  and  all 
nations. 


"Cjje  Itork  (Sets  fjrafclii  on." 

T  IKE  all  Eeforms  wliicli  have  for  their  object  the 
JJ 

amelioration  of  man's  condition ;  the  advancement 

of  the  Redeemer's  kingdom ;  the  cause  of  human  free 
dom  has  encountered  many  oppositions  calculated  to 
impede  its  progress.  It  has  temporarily  suffered  from 
cruel  defection  within,  and  the  most  virulent  persecu 
tion  without  the  camp. 

John,  the  forerunner  of  Jesus,  had  for  his  portion 
"  locusts  and  wild  honey."  But  those  who  have  stood 
forth  in  the  sunlight,  the  advocates  of  the  crushed  and 
bleeding  bondman;  whose  motto  is,  "  Our  country  is 
the  world,  and  our  countrymen  all  mankind,"  have 
had  no  Iwney  for  their  portion.  Oh  no !  they  have 
ever  dwelt  among  the  tempest  and  the  storm,  with 
thunder,  lightning,  and  whirlwind,  to  feed  upon. 

Some  have  been  called,  for  the  advocacy  of  the 


WORK  GOES  BRAVELY  ON."     157 

truth,  to  wing  their  flight  from  the  prison-house  to 
Heaven ;  and  others,  to  bare  their  bosoms  to  the  red- 
hot  indignation  of  relentless  mobs,  arrayed  in  mur 
derous  panoply.  They  have  gone ;  but,  thank  God, 

"  THE  WORK  GOES  BRAVELY  ON  !" 

The  great  men  ^of  the  nation,  the  mighty  men,  the 
chief  priests  and  rulers,  have  risen  in  their  strength, 
and  resolved  to  crush,  as  with  an  avalanche,  the  irre 
pressible  aspirations  of  the  bondman's  heart  for  FREE 
DOM  ;  they  have  attempted  to  padlock  the  out-gush 
ing  sympathies  of  humanity ;  to  trample  in  the  dust 
the  sacred  guarantees  of  the  palladium  of  their  own 
liberties,  but  their  "  terribleness  hath  deceived  them, 
a-nd  the  pride  of  their  heart,"  for  the  desolating  angel 
hath  sealed  their  lips  in  the  silence  of  the  tomb,  and 
we,  the  recipients  of  their  crushing  cruelties,  thank 

God  ':  THE  WORK  GOES  BRAVELY  ON." 


not  it  I$ijrf0rtttiu  hit  a  Crime, 


LONDON,  September  2,  1853. 

"  T?OR  your  movement  on  belialf  of  the  slave,  I  have 
profound  respect.  I  assure  you  of  my  un 
feigned  sympathies  and  of  my  earnest  prayers.  In 
my  view,  you  deserve  the  high  esteem  of  all  who  love 
and  serve  God.  Nothing  would  be  deemed  by  me  a 
greater  honor  than  co-operation  with  you  actively  in 
your  work  of  faith  and  your  labor  of  love.  With  full 
consent  of  all  that  is  within  me,  do  I  range  myself 
among  those  who  deem  American  slavery  not  a  sad 
misfortune,  but  a  heinous  crime  :  a  crime  all  the  more 
heinous,  because  justified  and  even  perpetrated  by 
men  who  call  themselves  the  servants  of  Christ. 
"  I  am,  madam,  yours  respectfully, 


Che  fruaulitji  uf 

&  \Zr\  2)  CO 


rPHERE  is  nothing  in  the  universe  that  can  deserve 
the  name  or  do  the  work  of  valid  LAW  but  the 
commandment  and  the  ordinance  of  the  living  God. 
All  human  enactments,  adjudications  and  usages  not 
founded  on  these,  are  of  no  legal  force,  and  should  be 
trampled  under  foot.  The  practice  of  slaveholding, 
for  this  reason,  can  never  be  legalized,  and  all  legis 
lative  or  judicial  attempts  to  sustain  it  are  rebellion 
against  God,  and  treason  against  civil  society.  To 
teach  otherwise,  would  be  to  set  up  other  gods  above 
Jehovah,  to  promulgate  the  fundamental  principle  of 
atheism,  and.  proclaim  war  against  the  liberties  of 
mankind. 


mm   n  s 


T  ASK  no  prouder  inscription  for  my  humble  tomb, 
than  "  Here  lies  the  Friend  of  the  Oppressed." 


C|re  Hfrssiim  <rf 


BRUNSWICK,  Maine,  September  30,  1853. 

Miss  JULIA  GRIFFITH, 

lUTY  Dear  Madam,  your  letter  of  September  23d 
I  have  received.  I  regret  exceedingly  that  it 
is  not  in  my  power  to  furnish  the  article  you  have 
done  me  the  honor  to  solicit,  for  the  "Autographs 
for  Freedom."  Particularly  do  I  regret  this  now, 
when  the  great  conflict  between  aristocracy  and  de 
mocracy  is  about  being  renewed  all  over  the  continent 
of  Europe,  and  when  despots  are  pointing  with  exult 
ation  to  the  unparalleled  enormities  of  our  "peculiar 
institutions,"  and  the  friends  of  republican  equality,  in 
all  lands,  are  disheartened  by  our  example.  "Would 
the  slaveholders  of  the  south  but  consent  to  place 
those  who  till  their  lands,  under  the  protection  of 
wholesome  and  impartial  law,  and  pay  them  honest 


162        THE  MISSION  OF  A  ME  BIG  A. 

wages,  it  would  ere  long  cause  human  rights  to  be  re 
spected  in  every  corner  of  the  globe.  It  should  be 
the  mission  of  America,  by  the  silent  influence  of  a 
glorious  example,  to  revolutionize  all  despotisms.  We 
have  a  vast  continent  to  subdue  and  to  adorn,  and  we 
need  the  aid  of  millions  more  of  willing  hands  to  ac 
complish  the  magnificent  enterprise.  With  much 
esteem  I  am  truly  yours, 


5  isf ellotosfj i jj| ing  jlkb eljalko, 

late  Dr.  Chalmers,  not  long  before  his  death, 
spoke  with  disapprobation  of  Abolitionists  in  the 
United  States,  "  for  undertaking,"  as  he  said,  "to  de 
cide,  without  sufficient  evidence,  upon  the  irreligious 
character  of  ministers  and  church-members.  Tliey, 
forsooth,  undertake  to  exclude  men  from  the  Lord's 
table,  who  are  in  good  and  regular  standing  in  the 
•church  of  Christ,  because  they  happen  to  hold  slaves ! 
They  pretend  to  decide  who,  and  who  are  not  Chris 
tians  1"  It  is  marvellous  that  so  learned  and  so  dis 
tinguished  a  man  should  have  fallen  into  such  a  mis 
take  ;  and,  on  hearsay,  ventured  to  utter  a  most 
calumnious  accusation  against  the  friends  of  the  slave. 
The  Abolitionists  might,  perhaps,  make  decisions  in 
the  case  not  wide  of  the  mark,  founded  upon  the  rule 
given  by  Jesus  Christ :  "  By  their  fruits  ye  shall  know 


164      DlSFELLOWSHIPPING   SLAVEHOLDERS. 

them."  But,  in  declaring  that  slaveholders  ought  not 
to  be  fellowshipped  as  Christians,  they  do  not  say 
whether  a  slaveholder  is  or  is  not  a  Christian.  On  the 
contrary,  they  leave  each  one  with  his  Maker,  the  IN 
FALLIBLE  JUDGE.  But  this  they  do  : — they  hold  that 
no  slaveholder,  professing  to  be  a  Christian,  is  entitled 
to  Christian  FELLOWSHIP,  because  slaveholding  is  a  sin, 
and  should  subject  the  offender  to  discipline.  Neither 
Dr.  Chalmers  nor  any  other  divine  could  deny  the 
propriety  of  this,  provided  they  believed  that  slave- 
holding  is  a  sin,  or  an  ecclesiastical  offence.  The 
apostle  Paul  directed  that  Christians  should  not  eat 
with  an  extortioner.  A.  slaveholder  is  an  extortioner. 
If,  then,  a  Christian  may  not  eat  a  common  meal  with 
such  an  offender,  may  he  sit  at  the  Lord's  table  with 
him  ?  I  trow  not. 

LEWIS  TAPPAN. 


tf  from  in)) 


MAY,  1849. 
SAMUEL  R.  WARD  AND  FREDERICK  DOUGLASS. 

"1QERHAPS  a  fitter  occasion  never  presented  itself, 
-*-  nor  was  more  properly  availed  of,  for  the  ex 
hibition  of  talent,  than  when  Frederick  Douglass  and 
Samuel  E.  Ward  debated  the  "  question"  whether  the 
Constitution  was  or  not  a  pro-slavery  document. 

With  the  "  question"  at  issue  we  have,  at  present, 
nothing  to  do  ;  and  with  the  arguments  so  far  only  as 
they  exhibit  the  men. 

Both  eminent  for  talent  of  an  order  (though  differ 
ing  somewhat  in  cast)  far  above  the  common  level  of 
great  men. 

If  any  inequalities  existed,  they  served  rather  to 
heighten  than  diminish  the  interest  of  the  occasion, 
giving  rise  to  one  of  the  severest  contests  of  mind 
with  mind  that  has  yet  come  to  my  notice. 


166  A  LEAF  FROM 

Douglass,  sincere  in  the  opinions  he  has  espoused, 
defends  them,  with  a  fervor  and  eloquence  that  finds 
scarcely  a  competitor. 

In  his  very  look — his  gesture — in  his  whole  manner, 
there  is  so  much  of  genuine,  earnest  eloquence,  that 
they  leave  no  time  for  reflection.  Now  you  are 
reminded  of  one  rushing  down  some  fearful  steep, 
bidding  you  follow ;  now  on  some  delightful  stream, 
still  beckoning  you  onward. 

In  either  case,  no  matter  what  your  prepossessions 
or  oppositions,  you  for  the  moment,  at  least,  forget 
the  justness  or  unjustness  of  his  cause  and  obey  the 
summons,  and  loath,  if  at  all,  you  return  to  your 
former  post. 

Not  always,  however,  is  he  successful  in  retaining 
you.  Giddy  as  you  may  be  with  the  descent  you 
have  made,  delighted  as  you  are  with  the  pleasure 
afforded,  with  the  elysium  to  which  he  has  wafted 
you,  you  return  too  often  dissatisfied  with  his  and  your 
own  impetuosity  and  want  of  firmness.  You  feel  that 
you  had  had  only  a  dream,  a  pastime,  not  a  reality. 

This  great  power  of  momentary  captivation  consists 
in  his  eloquence  of  manner — his  just  appreciation  of 
words. 


MY  SCRAP  BOOK.  167 

In  listening  to  him,  your  whole  soul  is  fired — every 
nerve  strung — every  passion  inflated — every  faculty 
you  possess  ready  to  perform  at  a  moment's  bidding. 
You  stop  not  to  ask  why  or  wherefore. 

'Tis  a  unison  of  mighty  yet  harmonious  sounds  that 
play  upon  your  imagination ;  and  you  give  yourself 
up,  for  a  time,  to  their  irresistible  charm. 

At  last,  the  cataract  which  roared  around  you  is 
hushed,  the  tornado  is  passed,  and  you  find  yourself 
sitting  upon  a  bank  (at  y;liose  base  roll  but  tranquil 
waters),  quietly  insulating  that  why,  amid  such  a 
display  of  power,  no  greater  effect  had  really  been 
produced. 

After  all,  it  must  be  admitted,  there  is  a  power 
in  Mr.  Douglass  rarely  to  be  found  in  any  other 
man. 

With  copiousness  of  language,  and  finish  of  diction, 
when  even  ideas  fail,  words  come  to  his  aid — arrang 
ing  themselves,  as  it  were,  so  completely,  that  they 
not  only  captivate,  but  often  deceive  us  for  ideas ;  and 
hence  the  vacuum  that  would  necessarily  occur  in 
the  address  of  an  ordinary  speaker  is  filled  up,  present 
ing  the  same  beautiful  harmony  as  do  the  lights  and 
shades  of  a  picture. 


168  A  LEAF  FKOM 

From  Mr.  Douglass,  in  this,  perhaps,  as  much  as 
in  any  other  respect,  does  Mr.  Ward  differ.  Ideas 
form  the  basis  of  all  Mr.  Ward  utters.  Words  are 
only  used  to  express  those  ideas. 

If  words  and  ideas  are  not  inseparable,  then,  as 
mortar  is  to  the  stones  that  compose  the  building,  so 
are  his  words  to  his  ideas. 

In  this,  I  judge,  lays  Mr.  Ward's  greatest  strength. 
Concise  without  abruptness — without  extraordinary 
stress,  always  clear  and  forcible ;  if  sparing  of  orna 
ment,  never  inelegant.  In  all,  there  appears  a  con 
sciousness  of  strength,  developed  by  close  study  and 
deep  reflection,  and  only  put  forth  because  the  oc 
casion  demanded, — a  power  not  only  to  examine  but 
to  enable  you  to  see  the  fairness  of  that  examination 
and  the  justness  of  its  conclusions. 

You  feel  Douglass  to  be  right,  without  always  see 
ing  it ;  perhaps  it  is  not  too  much  to  say,  when  Ward 
is  right  you  see  it. 

His  appeals  are  directed  rather  to  the  understand 
ing  than  the  imagination;  but  so  forcibly  do  they 
take  possession  of  it,  that  the  heart  unhesitatingly 
yields. 

If,  as  we  have  said,  Mr.  Douglass  seems  as  one 


MY  SCEAP  BOOK.  169 

•whirling  down  some  steep  descent  whose  very  im 
petuosity  impels ; — ere  you  are  aware  of  it,  it  is  the 
quiet  serenity  of  Mr.  Ward,  as  he  points  up  the 
rugged  ascent,  and  invites  you  to  follow,  that  inspires 
your  confidence  and  ensures  your  safety.  Step  by 
step  do  you  with  him  climb  the  rugged  steep  ;  and,  as 
you  gain  each  succeeding  eminence,  he  points  you  to 
new  scenes  and  new  delights; — now  grand — sublime  ; 
now  picturesque  and  beautiful; — always  real.  Most 
speakers  fail  to  draw  a  perfect  figure.  This  point  I 
think  Mr.  "Ward  has  gained.  His  figures,  when  done, 
stand  out  with  prominence,  possessing  both  strength 
and  elegance. 

Douglass'  imagery  is  fine — vivid — often  gaudily 
painted.  Ward's  pictures — bold,  strong,  glowing. 

Douglass  speaks  right  on ;  you  acknowledge  him  to 
have  been  on  the  ground — nay,  to  have  gone  over  the 
field ;  Ward  seeks  for  and  finds  the  corners ;  sticks 
the  stakes,  and  leaves  them  standing  ;  we  know  where 
to  find  them. 

Mr.  Douglass  deals  in  generals ;  Mr.  Ward  reduces 
everything  to  a  point. 

Douglass  is  the  lecturer  ;  Ward  the  debater.  Doug 
lass  powerful  in  invective ;  Ward  in  argument.  What 

8 


170  A  LEAF  FROM 

advantage  Douglass  gains  in  mimicry  Ward  recovers 
in  wit. 

Douglass  has  sarcasm,  Ward  point. 

Here,  again,  an  essential  difference  may  be  pointed 
out: — • 

Douglass  says  much,  at  times,  you  regret  lie  uttered. 
This,  however,  is  the  real  man,  and  on  reflection  you 
like  him  the  better  for  it.  What  Ward  says  you  feel 
to  be  but  a  necessity,  growing  out  of  the  case, — that  it 
ought  to  have  been  said — that  you  would  have  said 
precisely  the  same  yourself,  without  adding  or 
diminishing  a  single  sentence. 

Douglass,  in  manner,  is  at  all  times  pleasing ;  Ward 
seldom  less  so;  often  raises  to  the  truly  majestic,  and 
never  descends  below  propriety.  If  you  regret  when 
Douglass  ceases  to  speak,  you  are  anxious  Ward 
should  continue. 

Dignity  is  an  essential  quality  in  an  orator — I  mean 
true  dignity. 

Douglass  has  this  in  an  eminent  degree ;  Ward  no 
less  so,  coupled  with  it  great  self-possession.  He  is 
never  disconcerted — all  he  desires  he  says. 

In  one  of  his  replies  to  Mr.  Douglass  I  was  struck 
with  admiration,  and  even  delight,  at  the  calm,  digni- 


MY  SCEAP  BOOK.  171 

fied  manner  in  which  he  expressed  himself,  and  his 
ultimate  '  triumph  under  what  seemed  to  me  very 
peculiar  circumstances. 

Douglass'  was  a  splendid  effort — a  beautiful  effusion. 
One  of  those  outpourings  from  the  deeps  of  his  heart 
of  which  he  can  so  admirably  give  existence  to. 

He  had  brought  down  thunders  of  well-merited  ap 
plause  ;  and  sure  I  am,  that  a  whisper,  a  breath  from 
almost  any  other  opponent  than  Mr.  Ward,  would 
have  produced  a  tumult  of  hisses. 

Not  so,  however,  now.  The  quiet,  majestic  air, 
the  suppressed  richness  of  a  deep-toned,  but  well- 
cultivated  voice,  as  the  speaker  paid  a  few  well-timed 
compliments  to  his  opponents,  disturbed  not,  as  it  had 
produced,  the  dead  stillness  around. 

Next  followed  some  fine  sallies  of  wit,  which  broke 
in  on  the  calm. 

He  then  proceeded  to  make  and  accomplished  one 
of  the  most  finished  speeches  to  which  I  have  ever 
listened,  and  sat  .down  amidst  a  perfect  storm  of 
cheers. 

It  was  a  noble  burst  of  eloquence, — the  gatherings 
up  of  the  choicest  possible  culled  thoughts,  and  poured 
forth,  mingling  with  a  unison  of  brilliant  flashes  and 


172  A  LEAF  FKOM 

masterly  strokes,  following  each  otlier  in  quick  suc 
cession  ;  and  though  felt — deeply  felt,  no  more  to  be 
described  than  the  vivid  lightning's  zig-zag,  as  pro 
duced  from  the  deep-charged  thunder-cloud. 

If  Douglass  is  not  always  successful  in  his  attempts 
to  heave  up  his  ponderous  missiles  at  his  opponents, 
from  the  point  of  his  descent,  he  always  shows  deter 
mination  and  spirit. 

He  is  often  too  far  down  the  pass,  however,  (her 
culean  though  he  be,)  for  his  intent. 

Ward,  from  the  eminence  he  has  gained,  giant-like, 
hurls  them  back  with  the  force  and  skill  of  a  prac 
tised  marksman,  almost  invariably  to  the  detriment  of 
his  already  fallen  victim. 

In  Douglass  you  have  a  man,  in  whose  soul  the  iron 
of  oppression  has  far  entered,  and  you  feel  it. 

He  tells  the  story  of  his  wrongs,  so  that  they  stand 
out  in  all  their  naked  ugliness. 

In  Ward,  you  have  one  with  strong  native  powers, 
—I  know  of  none  stronger  ;  superadded  a  careful  and 
extensive  cultivation ;  an  understanding  so  matured, 
that  fully  enables  him  to  successfully  grapple  with 
men  or  errors,  and  portray  truth  in  a  manner  equalled 
by  few. 


MY  SCEAP  BOOK.  173 

After  all,  it  must  be  admitted,  both  are  men  of  ex- 
traordinar  j  powers  of  mind. 

Both  well  qualified  for  the  task  they  have  under 
taken. 

I  have,  rather  than  anything  else,  drawn  these  out 
line  portraits  for  our  young  men,  who  can  fill  them  up 
at  leisure. 

The  subjects  are  both  fine  models,  and  may  bo 
studied  with  profit  by  all, — especially  those  who  are 
destined  to  stand  in  the  front  rank. 


NOTE. — It  has  been  some  years  since  the  above  sketch  was 
drawn ;  and  though  my  impressions,  especially  of  Mr.  Douglass,  has 
undergone  some  slight  change  since, — seeing  in  him  enlarged,  strength 
ened,  and  more  matured  thought,  still  I  think,  on  the  whole,  the  care 
ful  observer  will  attest  substantially  to  its  correctness. 


"™—  is  mi) 


TT  gives  me  great  pleasure  to  express  m  y  interest  in 
your  objects,  by  the  following  sentiment:  Sym 
pathy  for  the  slave,  —  the  clearest  exhibition  in  modern 
times  of  the  spirit  which,  in  the  parable  of  the  Samari 
tan,  first  illumined  the  wrong  of  oppression,  and  the 
divineness  of  brotherly  love. 


/ 


for  ifje 


SLAVE  though  thou  art  to  unfeeling  power, 
Till  wrong  shall  reach  her  final  hour, 
Mourn  not  as  one  on  whom  the  day 
Will  never  shed  a  healing  ray. 
The  star  of  hope,  that  leads  the  dawn, 
Appears,  and  night  will  soon  be  gone. 

Long  has  thy  night  of.  sorrow  been, 
Without  a  star  to  cheer  the  scene. 
Nay  ;  there  was  One  that  watched  and  wept, 
When  thou  didst  think  all  mercy  slept  ; 
That  eye,  which  beams  with  love  divine, 
Where  all  celestial  glories  shine. 

Justice  will  soon  the  sceptre  take  ; 
The  scourge  shall  fall,  the  tyrant  quake. 


176      CONSOLATION  FOB  THE  SLAVE. 

Hark !  'tis  the  voice  of  One  from  heaven ; 
The  word,  the  high  command  is  given, 
"  Break  every  yoke,  loose  every  chain, 
To  usher  in  the  Saviour's  reign." 


&0*1~J 


Key  to  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin :  a  key  to  unlock 
any  mind  that  is  not  rendered  inaccessible  by  the 
rust  of  conservatism  or  party-spirit,  and  to  open  the 
fountain  of  every  generous  affection,  which  is  not 
closed  with  impenetrable  ice.  With  this  key  may 
every  one  become  familiar,  who  would  know,  and 
both  in  word  and  deed  "  bear  witness  to  the  truth 1" 


Cjje  Cnu  Hussion  of 


TF  Liberty  were  to  go  on  a  pilgrimage  all  over  the 
earth,  she  would  find  a  home  in  every  house,  and 
a  welcome  in  every  heart.  None  would  reject  the 
favors  she  offers  if  brought  to  their  own  doors.  Sure 
and  prompt  as  the  impulses  of  instinct,  every  bosom 
would  open  to  admit  her  and  her  blessings,  but  — 
when  her  gospel  is  proclaimed  as  a  common  bounty 
to  all  the  world,  —  when  she  is  seen  visiting  and  feast 
ing  with  publicans  and  sinners,  and  sitting  with  her 
unwashed  disciples  in  familiar  and  loving  companion 
ship,  Caesar  and  the  synagogue  are  alike  alarmed  and 
enraged.  When  she  is  found  daily  in  the  market 
place  and  on  the  mountain-top,  in  the  hamlet  and  on 
the  highway,  ministering  to  the  multitude,  healing 
and  feeding  them,  —  showing  the  same  love  and  rever 
ence  for  humanity  in  every  variety  of  conditions,  and 


TEUE  MISSION  OF  LIBERTY.        179 

however  disguised  or  degraded, — the  cruelty  of  caste 
and  the  bitterness  of  bigotry  straightway  take  coun 
sel  among  themselves  how  they  may  destroy  her. 

Heaven  help  us !  Divided  as  we  are,  into  the 
hating  and  the  hated,  the  oppressors  and  the  op 
pressed,  we  have  settled  it,  somehow,  that  we  are  of 
necessity  at  war  with  each  other — that  the  welfare  of 
one  in  some  way  depends  upon  the  wretchedness  of 
another.  How  much  madness  and  misery  would  be 
spared  if  we  could  in  any  way  learn  that  we  are 
brethren. 


true  %irit  0f 


fTlHE  religion  of  Jesus,  acting  as  a  vital  principle  in 
the  individual  heart,  and  thus  leaving  the  entire 
mass  of  humanity,  to  this  alone  are  we  to  look  as  of 
sufficient  power  to  do  away  the  evils  that  are  now  rife 
in  the  world.  Just  so  far  as  the  true  spirit  of  Jesus  is 
infused  into  the  soul,  and  acts  in  the  life  of  man,  we 
know  that  sin,  in  its  various  forms  of  sensuality, 
oppression,  and  bloodshed,  must  disappear.  All 
reforms,  which  are  not  based  on  this  corner-stone,  are 
superficial;  and,  however  goodly  their  proportions 
may  appear  to  the  eye  of  man,  they  want  that  firm 
foundation  which  will  secure  them  against  being 
undermined  or  overthrown  by  the  force  of  adverse 
circumstances.  "  Other  foundation  can  no  man  lay, 
than  that  is  laid,"  for  the  building  up  of  all  that  is 
really  excellent  and  heavenly. 


TRUE  SPIRIT  OF  KEFORM.          181 

But,  while  we  acknowledge  the  omnipotence  of  true 
religion  for  the  ratification  of  all  social  wrongs,  we 
are  not  to  rest  in  the  inculcation  of  its  abstract  princi 
ples  and  outward  forms  alone.  It  is  not  enough  that 
we  ourselves  become,  or  persuade  our  fellow-men  to 
become  professed  disciples  of  Jesus ;  not  enough  that, 
in  a  general  way,  we  urge  the  precepts  of  the  gospel. 
The  obtuseness  of  the  human  heart,  when  hardened 
by  habit  and  early  education,  requires  that  we  make 
particular  application  of  the  precepts  of  Christ,  and 
address  our  efforts  to  the  removal  of  specific  sins :  the 
sins  of  our  own  age  and  country.  It  may  be  that  our 
brother,  sincerely  intending  to  act  in  the  spirit  of 
Jesus,  is  yet  blinded  by  the  force  of  habit,  and  fails  to 
see  the  sin  in  which  he  is  living.  If  our  position 
make  us  to  see  more  clearly  than  he  the  course  he 
should  pursue,  let  us  endeavor  gently  to  remove  the 
veil  from  his  eyes,  remembering  how  often  our  own 
vision  is  dimmed  by  prejudice  and  outward  circum 
stances.  In  the  moral,  as  well  as  in  the  natural  world, 
we  believe  that  God  demands  our  active  cooperation ; 
and,  as  the  farmer  not  only  sows  the  seed,  but  roots 
out  the  weeds  from  among  the  grain,  so  are  we  to 
endeavor  to  eradicate  from  the  broad  field  of  the  moral 


182          TRUE  SPIRIT  OF  EEFORM. 

world  those  evil  practices  which  obstruct  the  growth 
of  the  harvest  of  pure  and  undefiled  religion. 

"  The  husbandman  waiteth  for  the  precious  fruit  of 
the  earth,  and  hath  long  patience  for  it,  until  he 
receive  the  early  and  latter  rain."  So  are  we  obliged 
often  to  have  "long  patience,"  until  we  see  the  mani 
fest  blessing  of  God  on  our  labors.  But  patient 
waiting  becomes  a  virtue,  only  when  combined  with 
the  exercise  of  our  best  powers  in  promoting  the 
object  of  our  desire.  "We  must  adapt  our  efforts  to 
the  express  object  which  we  seek  to  attain.  Taking 
those  spiritual  weapon's  which  are  "mighty  for  the 
pulling  down  of  the  strongholds"  of  sin,  let  us  assault 
the  great  evils  of  slavery  and  oppression  of  every 
name  and  kind,  always  marching  under  the  banners 
of  the  Prince  of  Peace,  whose  conquests  are  achieved 
not  by  violence,  but  by  the  subduing  power  of  God 
like  love.  Let  us  go  forth,  brethren,  sisters,  a  feeble 
band  though  we  may  seem  to  the  eye  of  man,  yet 
strong  in  the  assurance  that  the  hosts  of  heaven  are 
encamped  round  about  us,  and  that  "  more  are  they 
that  are  with  us,  than  they  that  are"  on  the  side  of 
the  oppressor;  and  let  us  not  falter  until  in  God's  own 
good  time  the  word  shall  oe  spoken,  not  as,  we 


TEUE  SPIEIT  OF  EEFORM.          183 

would  "hope,  in  the  whirlwind  or  the  earthquake,  but 
in  the  "  still  small  voice"  of  the  oppressor's  own  con 
viction,  saying  to  the  slaves,  "  Go  free !" 


to 
Intern  from 


SHE  comes,  slie  comes,  o'er  the  bounding  wave, 

Borne  swift  as  an  eagle's  flight  ; 
She  comes,  the  tried  friend  of  the  slave,  — 

Truth's  champion  for  the  right. 

Not  as  the  blood-stained  warrior  comes, 
"With  shrill-sounding  fife  and  drums  ; 

But  peaceful  by  our  quiet  homes, 
The  conquering  heroine  comes. 

Then  welcome  to  our  Pilgrim  shore, 

Tho'  sad  affliction*  meet  thee  ; 
Three  million  welcomes  from  God's  poor, 

The  south  winds  bear,  to  greet  thee. 

•» 

*  The  sickness  of  her  daughter. 


A  WELCOME  TO  MRS.  H.  B.  STOWE.    185 

To  thee,  with  chain-linked  hearts  we  come, 
"Which  naught  but  death  can  sever, 

To  thank  thee  for  thy  "  Uncle  Tom," 
Thy  gentle-hearted  "  Eva." 

When  the  crushed  slave  himself  shall  own, 

Three  million  fetters  broken, 
Shall  mount  before  thee,  to  the  Throne ; 

Of  thy  true  life,  the  token. 

Then  welcome  to  our  northern  hills  ; 

Thy  own  New  England  dwelling  ; 
The  birds,  the  trees,  the  sparkling  rills, 

All,  are  thy  welcome  swelling. 


ROCHESTER,  N.  Y.,  October  19th,  1853. 


r  to  a  r  K 


FROM   THE    GERMAN   OF    HOFFMAN,    IN   FOLLERSLEBEN. 

IT  is  a  time  of  swell  and  flood, 

We  linger  on  the  strand, 
And  all  that  might  to  us  bring  good 

Lies  in  the  distant  land. 

O  forward  !  forward  !  why  stand  still  ? 

The  flood  will  ne'er  run  dry  ; 
"Who  through  the  wave  not  venture  will, 

That  land  shall  never  spy. 


ciMIjat  Ijas  Canah  t<r  to  toit| 


question  is  often  asked,  both  in  Canada  and  in 
the  United  States  :  "What  have  we  in  Canada  to 
do  with  the  Institution  of  Slavery,  as  it  exists  in  the 
neighboring  Kepublic  ?  I  do  not  think  that  a  better 
answer  is  necessary,  than  that  which  is  contained  in 
the  following  extracts  —  the  former  of  which  is  taken 
from  a  speech  delivered  by  George  Thompson,  Esq., 
at  the  formation  of  the  Anti-Slavery  Society  of 
Canada  —  the  latter  from  the  valuable  work  of  the 
Rev.  Albert  Barnes  on  Slavery  : 

"  Are  we  separated  geographically  and  politically 
from  the  country  where  slavery  reigns  ?  We  are,  for 
that  very  reason,  the  persons  best  able  to  form  an  un 
biassed  arid  sound  judgment  on  the  question  at  issue. 
We  have  as  much  to  do  with  this  question  as  with 
any  question  that  concerns  the  happiness  of  man,  the 


188  WHAT  HAS  CANADA 

glory  of  God,  or  the  hopes  and  destinies  of  the  human 
race.  "We  have  to  do  with  this  question,  for  it  lies  at 
the  foundation  of  our  own  rights  as  a  portion  of  the 
human  family.  The  cause  of  liberty  is  one  all  over 
the  world.  "What  have  you  to  do  with  this  question  ? 
The  slave  is  your  brother,  and  you  cannot  dissolve 
that  Union.  While  he  remains  God's  child  he  will 
remain  your  brother.  He  is  helpless,  and  you  are  free 
and  powerful ;  and  if  you  neglect  him,  you  are  not 
doing  as  you  would  have  others  do  to  you,  were  you 
in  bonds.  Know  you  not  that  it  is  God's  method  to 
save  man  by  man,  and  that  man  is  only  great,  and 
honorable,  and  blest  himself,  as  he  is  the  friend  and 
defender  of  those  who  need  his  aid.  You  are  dwellers 
on  the  same  continent  with  three  millions  of  slaves. 
Their  sighs  come  to  you  with  every  breeze  from  the 
South.  Oh,  haste  to  help  them,  that  this  glorious 
continent  may  be  freed  from  its  pollution  and  its 
curse." 

Extract  from  Barnes  on  slavery : 

"  Slavery  pertains  to  a  great  wrong  done  to  our 
common  nature,  and  affects  great  questions,  relating 
to  the  final  triumph  of  the  principles  of  justice  and 
humanity.  The  race  is  one  great  brotherhood,  and 


TO  DO  WITH  SLAVERY?  189 

every  man  is  under  obligation,  as  far  as  he  has  the 
ability,  to  defend  those  principles  which  will  perma 
nently  promote  the  welfare  of  the  human  family. 
*  *  *  *  The  questions  of  right  and 
wrong  know  no  geographical  limits ;  are  bounded  by 
no  conventional  lines  ;  are  circumscribed  by  the  wind 
ings  of  no  river  or  stream,  and  are  not  designated  by 
climate  or  by  the  course  of  the  sun.  There  are  no 
enclosures  within  which  the  question  of  right  and 
wrong  may  not  be  carried  with  the  utmost  freedom." 
Other  answers  might  be  given,  but  these  are  quite 
sufficient. 


Iafo  fill:  it  |rupeitt 


"DUT  ours  is  tlie  saddest  part  of  this  sad  business. 
It  would  be  hard  enough  to  live  surrounded  by 
bondmen,  even  though  we  had  never  known  any 
other  way  of  life.  Still,  for  one  who  had  grown 
up  with  young  slaves  for  playmates  and  for  nurses, 
there  might  be  much  in  the  relation  to  quiet  the  con 
science  and  soothe  the  sensibilities.  Strong  attach 
ments,  we  all  know,  are  often  realized,  even  in  a 
condition  of  things  so  anomalous.  Perhaps,  too,  a 
large  number  of  those  about  us  would  be  as  feeble  in 
capacity  as  humble  in  their  circumstances.  One  so 
born  might  tolerate  such  a  position.  But  how  differ 
ent,  —  how,  in  comparison,  and  in  every  way  intolera 
ble,  to  be  set  as  watchmen  and  interceptors  of  these,  the 
brighter  and  the  better,  who,  beyond  all  controversy, 
have  outgrown  the  estate  of  bondage,  and  who  are  so 


THE  FUGITIVE  SLAVE  BILL.        191 

loudly  called  of  God  to  be  freemen,  that  they  will 
brave  any  peril  in  obedience  to  the  call  I  How  can 
we  do  this  and  still  be  men  and  Christians  ?  Would 
our  brethren  at  the  south  do  it  for  us  ?  If  we  have, 
in  our  haste,  so  covenanted,  must  we  not  rather  pay 
the  penalty  than  fulfil  the  bond  ?  I  recognize  obedi 
ence  to  civil  government  as  the  solemn  duty  of  all 
save  those  who  without  cause  are  made  outlaws  by  the 
State.  Government  protects  our  hearths  and  shelters 
those  who  are  dearest  to  us.  But  we  can  honor  the 
law  by  submitting  to  its  penalties  as  well  as  by  com 
plying  with  its  demands,  and  the  penalty  would  be 
my  election  when  a  man  who  had  seized  his  manhood 
at  the  peril  of  his  life  should  claim  of  me  shelter  and 
the  means  of  escape.  Before  I  refuse  that,  "  may  my 
right  hand  forget  its  cunning  and  my  tongue  cleave 
to  the  roof  of  my  mouth." 


femjjment  at  i\t  ^late- 

EXTRACT. 

OUCH  is  the  unholy  and  gigantic  power  that,  leav 
ing  its  territorial  domain,  has  usurped  the  seat  of 
freedom — that  has  established  at  our  capitol  a  central 
despotism,  and  bends  to  its  will  with  iron  hand  the 
Legislative,  Executive,  and  Judicial  branches  of  our 
Federal  Government. 

I  have  marvelled,  sir,  as  you  have,  that  the  Spirit 
of  Freedom  in  our  fair  land  has  so  long  slumbered 
beneath  such  an  outrage,  But  I  imagine  her  awaken 
ing.  As  she  is  about  to  awaken  in  her  strength,  and 
with  the  voice  of  the  people,  like  the  sound  of  many 
waters,  rebuking  this  insolent  slave-power,  as  Milton 
tells  us  its  father  and  inventor  was  of  old  rebuked, 
as  he  sought  to  pass  the  bounds  of  his  prison-house, 
and  to  darken  with  his  presence  the  realms  of  light — 


ENCROACHMENT  OF  SLAVE-POWER.    193 


"  And  reckon'st  thou  thyself  with  spirits  of  Heaven, 
Hell-doom'd !  and  breath'st  defiance  here  and  scorn, 
Where  I  reign  King,  and  to  enrage  thee  more 
Thy  King  and  Lord  ?     Back  to  thy  punishment 
False  fugitive,  and  to  thy  speed  add  wings, 
Lest  with  a  whip  of  scorpions  I  pursue 
Thy  lingering,  or  with  one  stroke  of  this  dart, 
Strange  horrors  seize  thee  and  pangs  unfelt  before." 

Faithfully  yours, 


C(je  Disljonar  of  luibor, 

fundamental,  essential  cause  of  slavery  and  its 
concomitants,  ignorance,  degradation  and  suffering 
on  the  one  side,  as  of  idleness,  prodigality  and  luxury- 
born  disease  on  the  other,  is  a  false  idea  of  the  nature 
and  offices  of  Labor. 

Labor  is  not  truly  a  curse,  as  has  too  long  been  as 
serted.  It  only  becomes  such  through  human  per- 
verseness,  misconception  and  sin.  It  was  no  curse  to 
the  first  pair  in  Eden,  and  will  not  be  to  their  descend 
ants,  whenever  and  wherever  the  spirit  of  Eden  shall 
pervade  them.  It  is  only  a  curse  because  too  many 
seek  to  engross  the  product  of  others'  work,  yet  do 
little  or  none  themselves.  If  the  secret  were  but  out, 
tliat  no  man  can  really  enjoy  more  than  his  own  moderate 
daily  labor  would  produce,  and  none  can  truly  enjoy  this 
without  doing  the  worlc,  the  death-knell  of  Slavery  in 


THE  DISHONOR  OF  LABOR.         195 

general — in  its  subtler  as  well  as  its  grosser  forms — • 
would  be  rung.  Until  that  truth  shall  be  thoroughly 
diffused,  the  cunning  and  strong  will  be  able  to  prey 
upon  the  simple  and  feeble,  whether  the  latter  be  called 
slaves  or  something  else. 

The  great  reform  required  is  not  a  work  of  hours 
nor  of  days,  but  of  many  years.  It  must  first  per 
vade  our  literature,  and  thence  our  current  ideas  and 
conversation,  before  it  can  be  infused  into  the  common 
life.  Meanwhile,  it  would  be  well  to  remember  that — 

Every  man  who  exchanges  business  for  idleness,  not 
because  he  has  become  too  old  or  infirm  to  work,  but 
because  he  has  become- rich  enough  to  live  without 
work ; 

-Every  man  who  educates  his  son  for  a  profession, 
rather  than  a  mechanical  or  agricultural  calling,  not 
because  of  that  son's  supposed  fitness  for  the  former 
rather  than  the  latter,  but  because  he  imagines  Law, 
Physic  or  Preaching,  a  more  respectable,  genteel  voca 
tion,  than  building  houses  or  growing  grain  ; 

Every  maiden  who  prefers  in  marriage  a  rich  suitor 
of  doubtful  morals  or  scanty  brains  to  a  poor  one,  of 
sound  principles,  blameless  life,  good  information  and 
sound  sense ; 


196          THE  DISHONOR  OF  LABOR. 

Every  mother  who  is  pleased  when  her  daughter  re 
ceives  marked  attention  from  a  rich  lawyer  or  mer 
chant,  but  frowns  on  the  addresses  of  a  young  farmer 
or  artisan  of  slender  property,  but  of  well-stored  mind, 
good  character  and  industrious,  provident  habits  ; 

Every  young  man  who,  in  choosing  the  sharer  of 
his  fireside  and  the  future  mother  of  his  children,  is 
less  solicitous  as  to  what  she  is  good  for,  than  as  to 
how  much  she  is  worth  ; 

Every  youth  who  is  trained  to  regard  little  work 
and  much  recompense — short  business-hours  and  long 
dinners — as  the  chief  ends  of  exertion  and  as  assu 
rances  of  a  happy  life  ; 

Every  teacher  who  thinks  more  of  the  wages  than 
of  the  opportunities  for  usefulness  afforded  by  his  or 
her  vocation ; 

Every  rich  Abolitionist,  who  is  ashamed  of  being 
caught  by  distinguished  visiters  while  digging  in  his 
garden  or  plowing  in  the  field,  and  wishes  them  to 
understand  that  he  so  works,  not  for  occupation,  but 
for  pastime ;  and 

Every  Abolition  lecturer  who  would  send  a  hireling 
two  miles  after  a  horse,  whereon  to  ride  three  miles  to 
fulfil  his  next  appointment  respectably ; 


THE  DISHONOR  OF  LABOE.          197 

Though  meaning  no  such  thing,  and  perhaps 
shocked  when  it  is  suggested,  is  a  practical  and  power 
ful  upholder  of  the  continued  enslavement  of  our 
fellow-men. 

In  the  faith  of  the  "  good  time  coming," 
I  remain  yours, 

HORACE  GKEELEY. 

,  ]STov.  7,  1853. 


Clje  €WIs  of  Cfflmiijatum 

I  SPEAK  the  words  of  soberness  and  truth  when  I 
say,  that  the  most  inveterate,  the  most  formidable, 
the  deadliest  enemy  of  the  peace,  prosperity,  and 
happiness  of  the  colored  population  of  the  United 
States,  is  that  system  of  African  colonization  which 
originated  in  and  is  perpetuated  by  a  worldly, 
Pharoah-like  policy  beneath  the  dignity  of  a  magnan 
imous  and  Christian  people ; — a  system  which  receives 
much  of  its  vitality  from  ad  captandum  appeals  to 
popular  prejudices,  and  to  the  unholy,  grovelling 
passions  of  the  canaille; — a  system  that  interposes 
every  possible  obstacle  in  the  way  of  the  improvement 
and  elevation  of  the  colored  man  in  the  land  of  his 
birth ; — that  instigates  the  enactment  of  laws  whose 
design  and  tendency  are  obviously  to  annoy  him,  to 
make  him  feel,  while  at  home,  that  he  is  a  stranger 


THE  EVILS  OF  COLONIZATION.     199 

and  a  pilgrim— nay  more, — to  make  him  "  wretched, 
and  miserable,  and  poor,  and  blind,  and  naked;" — to 
make  him  "  a  hissing  and  a  by- word,"  "  a  fugitive  and 
a  vagabond"  throughout  the  American  Union ; — a 
sj^stem  that  is  so  irreconcilably  opposed  to  the  pur 
pose  of  God  in  making  "  of  one  blood  all  nations  for 
to  dwell  on  all  the  face  of  the  earth,"  that  when  the 
dying  slaveholder,  under  the  lashes  of  a  guilty  con 
science,  would  give  to  his  slaves  unqualified  freedom, 
it  wickedly  interposes,  a:,d  persuades  him  that  "to  do 
justly  and  love  mercy''  would  be  to  inflict  an  irrepar 
able  injury  upon  the  community,  and  that  to  do  his 
duty  to  Grod  and  his  fellow-creatures,  under  the  cir 
cumstances,  he  should  bequeath  to  his  surviving 
slaves  the  cruel  alternative  of  either  expatriation  to  a 
far-off,  pestilential  clime,  with  the  prospect  of  a  premature 
death,  or  perpetual  slavery,  with  its  untold  horrors,  in  his 
native  land.  Against  this  most  iniquitous  system  of 
persecution  and  proscription  of  an  inoffensive  people, 
for  no  other  reason  than  that  we  wear  the  physical 
exterior  given  us  in  infinite  wisdom  and  benevolence, 
I  would  record,  nay  engrave  with  the  pen  of  a 
diamond,  my  most  emphatic  and  solemn  protest; 
more  especially  would  I  do  so,  as  the  system,  under 


200      THE  EVILS  OF  COLONIZATION. 

animadversion,  is  most  inconsistently  fostered,  and 
shamelessly  lauded,  by  ministers  of  the  gospel  in  the 
nineteenth  century,  as  a  scheme  of  Christian  philan 
thropy  !  "0  my  soul,  come  not  thou  into  their 
secret ;  unto  their  assembly,  mine  honor,  be  not  thou 
united." 


TOEONTO,  C.  W.,  Oct.  31st. 


C|e  lasts  of  tfje  American  Cmtstiiutioit 

"  TTAPPY,"  (said  Washington,  when  announcing 
the  treaty  of  peace  to  the  army,)  "  thrice 
happy  shall  they  be  pronounced  hereafter,  who  shall 
have  contributed  anything,  who  shall  have  performed 
the  meanest  office  in  erecting  this  stupendous  fabric  of 
freedom  and  empire  on  the  broad  basis  of  indepen 
dency,  who  shall  have  assisted  in  protecting  the  Eights 
of  Human  Nature,  and  establishing  an  asylum  for  the 
poor  and  oppressed  of  all  nations  and  religions." 

You  remember  well  that  the  Eevolutionary  Con 
gress  in  the  declaration  of  independence  placed  the 
momentous  controversy  between  the  Colonies  and 
Great  Britain  on  the  absolute  and  inherent  equality 
of  all  men.  It  is  not,  however,  so  well  understood 
that  that  body  closed  its  existence  on  the  adoption  of 

the  Federal  Constitution  with  this  solemn  injunction, 

9* 


202  THE  BASIS  OF  THE 

addressed  to  the  people  of  the  United  States :  "  Let  it 
be  remembered  that  it  has  ever  been  the  pride  and 
boast  of  America,  that  the  Eights  for  which  she  con 
tended  were  the  Eights  of  Human  Nature." 

No  one  will  contend  that  our  Fathers,  after  effect- 
ing  the  Eevolution  and  the  independence  of  their 
country,  bj  proclaiming  this  system  of  beneficent 
political  philosophy,  established  an  entirely  different 
one  in  the  constitution  assigned  to  its  government. 
This  philosophy,  then,  is  the  basis  of  the  American 
Constitution. 

It  is,  moreover,  a  true  philosophy,  deduced  from  the 
nature  of  man  and  the  character  of  the  Creator.  If 
there  were  no  supreme  law,  then  the  world  would  be 
a  scene  of  universal  anarchy,  resulting  from  the  eter 
nal  conflict  of  peculiar  institutions  and  antagonistic 
laws.  •  There  being  such  a  universal  law,  if  any  human 
constitution  and  laws  differing  from  it  could  have  any 
authority,  then  that  universal  law  could  not  be 
supreme.  That  supreme  law  is  necessarily  based  on 
the  equality  of  nations,  of  races,  and  of  men.  It  is  a 
simple,  self-evident  basis.  One  nation,  race,  or  indi 
vidual,  may  not  oppress  or  injure  another,  because  the 
safety  and  welfare  of  each  is  essential  to  the  common 


AMERICAN  CONSTITUTION.         203 

safety  and  welfare  of  all.  If  all  are  not  equal  and  free, 
then  who  is  entitled  to  be  free,  and  what  evidence  of 
his  superiority  can  he  bring  from  nature  or  revelation  ? 
All  men  necessarily  have  a  common  interest  in  the 
promulgation  and  maintenance  of  these  principles,  be 
cause  it  is  equally  in  the  nature  of  men  to  be  content 
with  the  enjoyment  of  their  just  rights,  and  to  be  dis 
contented  under  the  privation  of  them.  Just  so  far  as 
these  principles  practically  prevail,  the  stringency  of 
government  is  safaly  relaxed,  and  peace  and  harmony 
obtain.  But  men  cannot  maintain  these  principles,  or 
even  comprehend  them,  without  a  very  considerable 
advance  in  knowledge  and  virtue.  The  law  of  nations, 
designed  to  preserve  peace  among  mankind,  was  un 
known  to  the  ancients.  It  has  been  perfected  in  our 
own  times,  by  means  of  the  more  general  dissemina 
tion  of  knowledge  and  practice  of  the  virtues  incul 
cated  by  Christianity.  To  disseminate  knowledge,  and 
to  increase  virtue  therefore  among  men,  is  to  establish 
and  maintain  the  principles  on  which  the  recovery  and 
preservation  of  their  inherent  natural  rights  depend  ; 
and  the  State  that  does  this  most  faithfully,  advances 
most  effectually  the  common  cause  of  Human  Nature. 
For  myself,  I  am  sure  that  this  cause  is  not  a 


204  THE  BASIS  OF  THE 

dream,  but  a  reality.  Have  not  all  men  consciousness 
of  a  property  in  the  memory  of  human  transactions 
available  for  the  same  great  purposes,  the  security  of 
their  individual  rights,  and  the  perfection  of  their  in 
dividual  happiness  ?  Have  not  all  men  a  conscious 
ness  of  the  same  equal  interest  in  the  achievements  of 
invention,  in  the  instructions  of  philosophy,  and  in 
the  solaces  of  music  and  the  arts  ?  And  do  not  these 
achievements,  instructions,  and  solaces,  exert  every 
where  the  same  influences,  and  produce  the  same 
emotions  in  the  bosoms  of  all  men  ?  Since  all  lan 
guages  are  convertible  into  each  other,  by  correspond 
ence  with  the  same  agents,  objects,  actions,  and  emo 
tions,  have  not  all  men  practically  one  common  lan 
guage  ?  Since  the  constitutions  and"  laws  of  all  societies 
are  only  so  many  various  definitions  of  the  rights  and 
duties  of  men  as  those  rights  and  duties  are  learned 
from  Nature  and  Kevelation,  have  not  all  men  practi 
cally  one  code  of  moral  duty  ?  Since  the  religions  of 
men,  in  their  various  climes,  are  only  so  many  differ 
ent  forms  of  their  devotion  towards  a  Supreme  and 
Almighty  Power  entitled  to  their  reverence  and  re 
ceiving  it  under  the  various  names  of  Jehovah,  Jove, 
and  Lord,  have  not  all  men  practically  one  religion  ? 


AMERICAN  CONSTITUTION.         205 

Since  all  men  are  seeking  liberty  and  happiness  for  a 
season  here,  and  to  deserve  and  so  to  secure  more  per 
fect  liberty  and  happiness  somewhere  in  a  future 
world,  and,  since  they  all  substantially  agree  that 
these  temporal  and  spiritual  objects  are  to  be  attained 
only  through  the  knowledge  of  truth  and  the  prac 
tice  of  virtue,  have  not  mankind  practically  one  com 
mon  pursuit  through  one  common  way  of  one  com 
mon  and  equal  hope  and  destiny  ? 

If  there  had  been  no  such  common  Humanity  as  I 
have  insisted  upon,  then  the  American  people  would 
not  have  enjoyed  the  sympathies  of  mankind  when 
establishing  institutions  of  civil  and  religious  liberty 
here,  nor  would  their  establishment  here  have 
awakened  in  the  nations  of  Europe  and  of  South 
America  desires  and  hopes  of  similar  institutions 
there.  If  there  had  been  no  such  common  Humanity, 
then  we  should  not  ever,  since  the  American  Eevo- 
lution,  have  seen  human  society  throughout  the  world 
divided  into  two  parties,  the  high  and  the  low — the 
one  perpetually  foreboding  and  earnestly  hoping  the 
downfall,  and  the  other  as  confidently  predicting  and 
as  sincerely  desiring,  the  durability  of  Republican 
Institutions.  If  there  had  been  no  such  common 


206  THE  BASIS  OP  THE 

Humanity,  then  we  should  not  have  seen  this  tide  of 
emigration  from  insular  and  continental  Europe  flow 
ing  into  our  country  through  the  channels  of  the  St. 
Lawrence,  the  Hudson,  and  the  Mississippi, — ebbing, 
however,  always  with  the  occasional  rise  of  the  hopes 
of  freedom  abroad,  and  always  swelling  again  into 
greater  volume  when  those  premature  hopes  subside. 
If  there  were  no  such  common  Humanity,  then  the 
poor  of  Great  Britain  would  not  be  perpetually  ap 
pealing  to  us  against  the  oppression  of  landlords  on 
their  farms  and  work-masters  in  their  manufactories 
and  mines  ;  and  so,  on  the  other  hand,  we  should  not 
be,  as  we  are  now,  perpetually  framing  apologies  to 
mankind  for  the  continuance  of  African  slavery 
among  ourselves.  If  there  were  no  such  common 
Humanity,  then  the  fame  of  Wallace  would  have  long 
ago  died  away  in  his  native  mountains,  and  the  name 
even  of  "Washington  would  at  most  have  been  only  a 
household  word  in  Virginia,  and  not  as  it  is  now,  a 
watchword  of  Hope  and  Progress  throughout  the 
world. 

If  there  had  been  no  such  common  Humanity, 
then  when  the  civilization  of  Greece  and  Eome  had 
been  consumed  by  the  fires  of  human  passion,  the 


AMERICAN  CONSTITUTION.         207 

nations  of  modern  Europe  could  never  have  gathered 
from  among  its  ashes  the  philosophy,  the  arts,  and  the 
religion,  which  were  imperishable,  and  have  recon 
structed  with  those  materials  that  better  civilization, 
which,  amid  the  conflicts  and  fall  of  political  and 
ecclesiastical  systems,  has  been  constantly  advancing 
towards  perfection  in  every  succeeding  age.  If  there 
had  been  no  such  common  Humanity,  then  the  dark 
and  massive  Egyptian  obelisk  would  not  have  every 
where  reappeared  in  the  sepulchral  architecture  of  our 
own  times,  and  the  light  and  graceful  orders  of  Greece 
and  Italy  would  not  as  now  have  been  the  models  of 
our  villas  and  our  dwellings,  nor  would  the  simple 
and  lofty  arch  and  the  delicate  tracery  of  Gothic  de 
sign  have  been  as  it  now  is,  everywhere  consecrated  to 
the  service  of  religion. 

If  there  had  been  no  such  common  humanity, 
then  would  the  sense  of  the  obligation  of  the  Deca 
logue  have  been  confined  to  the  despised  nation  who 
received  it  from  Mount  Sinai,  and  the  prophecies  of 
Jewish  seers  and  the  songs  of  Jewish  bards  would 
have  perished  forever  with  their  temple,  and  never 
afterwards  could  they  have  become  as  they  now  are, 
the  universal  utterance  of  the  spiritual  emotions  and 


208     THE  AMEKICAN  CONSTITUTION. 

hopes  of  mankind.  If  there  had  been  no  such  com 
mon  humanity,  then  certainly  Europe  and  Africa,  and 
even  new  America,  would  not,  after  the  lapse  of  cen 
turies,  have  recognized  a  common  Eedeemer,  from  all 
the  sufferings  and  perils  of  human  life,  in  a  culprit 
who  had  been  ignominiously  executed  in  the  obscure 
Koman  province  of  Judea ;  nor  would  Europe  have 
ever  gone  up  in  arms  to  Palestine,  to  wrest  from  the 
unbelieving  Turk  the  tomb  where  that  culprit  had 
slept  for  only  three  days  and  nights  after  his  descent 
from  the  cross, — much  less  would  his  traditionary 
instructions,  preserved  by  fishermen  and  publicans, 
have  become  the  chief  agency  in  the  renovation  of 
human  society,  through  after-coming  ages. 

WM.  H.  SEWABD. 


§81  i  s 


"  COULD  I  embody  and  unbosom  now, 
That  which  is  most  within  me  ;  —  could  I  wreak 
My  thoughts  upon  expression,  and  thus  throw 
Soul,  heart,  mind,  passions,  feelings  strong  or  weak, 
All  that  I  would  have  sought,  and  all  I  seek, 
Bear,  know,  and  feel,  and  breathe,  —  into  one  word, 
And  that  one  word  were  lightning  "  — 

I  would  speak  it,  not  to  crush  the  oppressor,  but  to 
melt  the  chains  of  slave  and  master,  so  that  loth 
should  go  free. 


YORE,  November  8th,  1853. 


i  a  1 0  g  it 


SCENE. A   BREAKFAST   TABLE. 

Mi?s.  GOODMAN,  a  widow. 

FRANK  GOODMAN,  her  son. 

MR,  FRKEMAN,  a  Southern  gentleman,  brother  to  Mrs.  Goodman. 

MR,  DRYMAN,  a  boarder. 

~J\/TR.  FKEEMAN.  (Sipping  Jiis  coffee  and  looking  over  the 
morning  paper)  reads — • 

"  The  performance  of  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin  attracts 
to  the  theatre  very  unusual  audiences.  In  the  "  gen 
teel  row"  last  evening,  we  observed  the  strictest  relig 
ionists  of  the  day,  not  excepting  puritanic  Presbyte 
rians,  and  the  sober  disciples  of  Wesley  and  Fox. 
For  ourselves,  we  must  candidly  confess  we  have 
never  witnessed  such  a  play  upon  all  the  emotions  of 
which  humanity  is  susceptible.  Mrs.  Stowe,  however 
unworthy  the  name  of  Patriot,  is  at  least  entitled  to 
the  credit  of  seizing  the  great  thought  of  the  age,  and 


A  DIALOGUE.  211 

embodying  it  in  such,  a  form  as  to  make  it  presentable 
to  every  order  of  mind  and  every  class  of  society. 
She  says,  in  effect,  to  Legislators,  let  me  furnish  your 
amusements,  and  I  care  not  who  makes  your  laws." 

Politicians  would  do  well  to  look  to  this — (laying 
down  the  paper  and  speaking  in  a  tone  of  impatience) — • 
so,  so,  Fanaticism  is  leading  to  its  legitimate  results. 
Uncle  Tom  in  our  parlors,  Uncle  Tom  in  our  pulpits, 
and  Uncle  Tom  in  our  plays. 

Mr.  Dry  man.  Truly  "  he  eateth  with  publicans  and 
sinners." 

Mr.  F.  (Not  noticing  Mr.  D?s  remark)  One  would 
think  this  last  appropriation  of  the  vaunted  hero 
would  be  sufficient  to  convince  the  most  radical  of 
the  demoralizing  influence  of  these  publications. 

Frank.  (Modestly)  How  differently  people  judge. 
Why,  last  evening,  when  I  saw  crowds  of  the  hard 
ened  and  dissipated  shedding  tears  of  honest  sympa 
thy,  when  Uncle  Tom  and  Eva  sang, 

"I  see  a  band  of  spirits  bright, 
And  conquering  palms  they  bear" — 

I  felt  that  the  moral  sentiment  .was  asserting  its  su 
premacy  even  in  places  of  amusement. 


212  A  DIALOGUE. 

Mr.  F.  Worse  and  worse,  my  nephew  and  name 
sake  a  theatre-goer. 

Mr.  D.  (In  an  under  tone.)  Namesake !  "  that's  the 
unkindest  cut  of  all." 

.  Frank.  Not  exactly  a  theatre-goer,  uncle,  though  I 
confess  I  might  be,  were  the  performance  always  as 
excellent  as  last  evening. 

Mrs.  Goodman.  Frank,  my  son,  I  hope  thee  will 
not  attempt  to  drink  from  a  dirty  pool  because  a  pure 
stream  flows  into  it. 

Frank.  But  the  rank  and  file  of  Democracy  drank 
deep  libations  to  Liberty  there,  mother. 

Mr.  D.  (Passing  his  cup.)  "  Drink  deep  or  taste  not 
of  the  Pierian  spring." 

Mr.  F.  (Sarcastically)  Take  care,  you'll  be  found 
using  the  products  of  slave  labor  ! 

Frank.  (Jocosely.) 

"  Think  how  many  backs  have  smarted, 
For  the  sweets,"  &c. 

Take  a  bit  of  toast,  Mr.  Dryman,  our  northern  pro 
ducts  are  perfectly  innocent,  you  know  ? 

Mr.  D.  (Helping  himself  bountifully)  "  Ask  no  ques 
tions  for  conscience's  sake." 


A  DIALOGUE.  213 

Mr.  F.  The  practice  of  you  Northerners  is  consist 
ent  with  your  professions. 

Mr.  D.  "  Consistency,  thou  art  a  jewel!" 

Frank.  It  is  very  hard  to  be  consistent  in  this 
world,  uncle.  My  mother  once  made  a  resolution  to 
IL-:C  nothing  polluted  by  Intemperance  or  Oppression, 
but  finding  that  it  required  her  to  take  constant 
thought  "  what  we  should  eat  and  drink,  and  where 
withal  wo  should  be  clothed,"  she  was  fain  to  relax 
her  discipline. 

Mrs.  G.  Frank,  thee  must  not  transcend  the  truth 
in  thy  mirthfulness. 

Frank.  Well,  mother,  did  not  some  experiment  of 
the  kind  lead  to  the  conclusion,  that  I  might  exercise 
my  freedom  v\  worldly  amusements  ? 

Mrs.  Gr.  Yes,  iny  son,  but  thy  enthusiasm  about  the 
theatre  makes  me  fear  I  have  gone  beyond  my  light. 

Mr.  F.  (Bitterly.)  Never  fear,  sister,  the  young  man 
will  soon  prove  that  Abolition  Societies  and  Theatres 
are  admirable  schools  of  morals. 

Frank.  Uncle  Tom  at  least  has  a  good  moral,  and 
so  has  "William  Tell  and  Pizarro — indeed  I  do  not  re 
member  of  ever  reading  a  play  which  had  not. 

Mr.  F.  (In  a  tone  of  irony.)  When  I  see   a  young 


214  A  DIALOGUE. 

man  spending  his  time  at  the  theatre,  in  search  of  good 
morals,  I  think  he  "  pays  too  dear  for  his  whistle." 

Mrs.  G.  And  yet  brother  Frank  speaks  the  truth. 
What  success  does  thee  think  a  play  -would  meet, 
which  should  represent  such  a  man  as  Uncle  Tom 
yielding  his  principles  and  faith  to  the  will  of  a 
Legree?" 

Mr.  F:  ( With  great  asperity.)  Do  you,  too,  Eebecca, 
advocate  theatres  ? 

Mrs.  G.  It  is  not  of  theatres,  but  of  books,  that  I 
am  speaking.  Does  thee  recollect  any  work,  the  whole 
plot  and  design  of  which  is  made  to  turn  upon  the 
triumph  of  the  wicked  over  the  good  ? 

Mr.  F.  (Musing?)  Why — I — don't  remember  now — 

Frank  (In  great  surprise?)  Why,  mother,  are  there 
no  books  written  in  favor  of  Slavery  ? 

Mrs.  G.  I  cannot  think  of  any  book  which  can  be 
said  to  be  written  for  Slavery,  in  the  sense  that  Uncle 
Tom's  Cabin  is  written  against  it.  Such  a  work  is,  I 
think,  impossible.  No  poet  would  attempt  to  portray 
its  moral  aspects,  and  delineate  its  beauties,  with  the 
idea  of  exciting  our  admiration  and  approval. 

Mr.  F.  Spoken  just  like  a  woman!  Your  sex  al 
ways  seize  upon  some  thought  gained  through  the  sen- 


A  DIALOGUE.  215 

sibilities,  and  then  bring  in  a  decision  without  farther 
investigation. 

Frank.  And  is  not  the  instinct  of  a  woman  a  more 
perfect  guide  in  morals,  than  the  reason  of  man  ? 

Mr.  F.  (Sarcastically.)  Certainly — if  it  direct  her 
son  to  the  theatre. 

Mr.  D.  Or  teach  him  the  supremacy  of  the  "Higher 
Law." 

Frank.  (With  warmth)  My  mother  did  not  direct 
me  to  the  theatre,  sir;  she  has  taught  me  to  love 
better  things ; — to  her  I  owe  all  the  lofty  sentiments 
of  virtue  and  truth. 

Mrs.  G-.  Softly,  softly  Frank,  theatres  and  Slavery 
will  be  quite  sufficient  for  this  discussion,  without  in 
troducing  Woman's  Eights.  (To  Mr.  Freeman)  Would 
it  not  be  more  consistent,  brother,  for  thee  to  disprove 
my  argument,  than  to  object  to  my  method  of  obtain 


ing  it? 


Mr.  F.  Nothing  can  be  easier — you  have  asserted  in 
round  terms  that  no  work  was  ever  written  in  favor 
of  Slavery.  What  an  absurdity !  If  you  have  any 
information  you  must  know  that  the  southern  press 
groans  with  publications  upon  this  topic. 

Mrs.  Gr.  Still  if  thee  examine  the  matter,  thee  will 


216  A  DIALOGUE. 

find  that  every  one  of  these  books  treats  Slavery  as  a 
curse,  and  describes  it  not  as  a  good  but  an  evil,  of 
which  each  man  loads  the  guilt  upon  his  forefathers  or 
his  neighbors. 

Mr.  F.  Granted  they  call  it  a  curse,  but  assuredly 
they  bring  forward  a  defence. 

Mrs.  G.  Yes,  they  defend  the  Constitution ;  they 
defend  the  rights  of  the  south  ;  they  advocate  Coloni 
zation,  or  point  out  the  errors  of  Abolitionists,  but 
what  one  in  word  or  in  effect  advocates  the  principles 
of  human  Slavery  ?  The  truth  is,  brother,  the  system 
has  the  literature  of  the  world  against  it ;  and  the 
south  ought  to  see  in  this  reading  age  an  infallible 
sign  that  the  days  of  its  cherished  institutions  are 
numbered.  Does  thee  not  perceive  that  every  novel 
and  every  poem  carries  to  the  parlor,  or,  if  it  please 
thee,  to  the  theatre,  an  influence  which  will  eventually 
re-act  on  the  ballot-box. 

Frank.  Do  you  mean,  mother,  to  include  in  your 
remarks  the  discourses  of  Eeverend  Divines  upon  the 
Patriarchal  Institution  ? 

Mrs.  @.  I  cannot  except  even  these*  for  they  ac 
knowledge  it  an  evil,  though  they  contend  its  exists 
by  divine  ordination,  just  as  they  assert  Original  Sin 


A  DIALOGUE.  217 

to  be  the  offspring  of  Eternal  Decrees ;  but  they  no 
more  convince  the  Slaveholder,  that  he  loves  his  bond 
man  as  himself,  than  they  convict  him  of  the  guilt  of 
Adam's  transgression. 

Mr.  F.  What  do  you  say  to  Webster's  great  speech 
on  the  compromise  measure? 

Mrs.  G.  (Pleasantly)  Is  not  the  moral  view  of  a 
question,  about  as  far  as  a  woman's  instinct  ought  to 
go? 

Mr.  F.  Oh,  no ;  go  on,  your  strictures  are  quite 
amusing. 

•Mrs.  Gr.  Well,  then,  since  we  have  taken  the  posi 
tion  of  a  reviewer,  we  must  confess  that  the  last  effort  of 
the  great  Daniel  appears  to  us  to  be  on  an  Act  of  Con 
gress. 

Mr.  D.  And  at  the  Presidential  chair. 

Mrs.  Gr.  (Continuing)  It  did  not  touch  the  merits  of 
slavery  at  all.  Webster  knew  the  feelings  of  the 
constituents  too  well  to  attempt  such  a  task.  He 
therefore  skilfully  diverted  their  attention 
real  issue,  to  the  glorious  Union,  and  its  danger  from 
agitators,  and  he  thus  carried  with  him  the  sympathies 
of  many  honest  haters  of  oppression. 

Mr.  F.  Well,  sister,  I  do  not  know  but  you  will 
10 


218  A  DIALOGUE. 

prove  that  there  is  not  an  advocate  for  slavery  on  the 
face  of  the  earth. 

Mrs.  G.  Only  such  advocates  as  there  is  for  robbery 
and  war.  Those  who  find  it  for  their  interest  to  prac 
tice  these  crimes  condemn  them  in  the  abstract,  or  at 
most  only  apologize  for  them,  as  necessary  and  ex 
pedient,  under  peculiar  circumstances. 

Frank.  (Laughing.}  Why,  mother,  I  shall  certainly 
subscribe  for  your  "North  American  Ksview,"  par 
ticularly  if  you  fill  the  literary  department  as  ably  as 
you  have  the  moral  and  political,  to  test  which,  let  me 
propound  a  question  ?  If  the  reward  of  the  good  be 
the  charm  of  fiction,  how  do  you  account  for  the 
pleasure  derived  from  tragedy,  where  the  good  are 
overwhelmed  with  the  evil  ? 

Mrs.  Gr.  (Smiling.}  With  great  diffidence  we  reply 
to  the  query  of  our  learned  friend.  The  force  of 
tragedy  consists  in  its  depicting  evil  so  ruinous  as  to 
involve  even  the  innocent  in  the  catastrophe ;  the 
pleasure  is  derived,  we  think,  from  the  failure  of  the 
mischievous  design,  and  the  merited  retribution  which 
falls  upon  the  head  of  the  plotters.  In  Borneo,  "  a 
scourge  is  laid  upon  the  hate  of  the  Montagues  and 
Capulets,  by  which  all  are  punished ;"  Hamlet's 


A  DIALOGUE.  219 

wicked  uncle  is  justly  served,  drinking  the  poison 
tempered  by  himself;  and  lago  pulls  down  ruin  upon 
himself  no  less  than  upon  Cassio. 

Frank.  (Bowing  playfully?)  Your  review  meets  my 
entire  approbation,  inasmuch  as  it  confirms  my  doc 
trine,  that  theatres  alwa}7s  give  their  verdict  in  favor 
of  virtue. 

Mr.  D.  "  Casting  out  devils  through  Beelzebub." 

Mrs.  0.  The  artistic  effect  of  every  work  of  the 
imagination  is  wrought  upon  what  critics  call  the 
"sympathetic  emotion  of  virtue,"  and  the  decisions  of 
this  faculty,  so  far  as  we  understand  them,  always 
correspond  with  what  Christians  believe  concerning 
the  "  final  restitution  of  all  things." 

Frank.  The  theatre,  then,  ought  to  promote  good 
morals — why  does  it  not  ? 

Mr.  D. 

"  And  many  worthy  men 

Maintained  it  might  be  turned  to  good  account, 
And  so  perhaps  it  might,  but  never  was." 

Mrs.  G.  The  ''sympathetic  emotion  of  virtue,"  not 
having  an  object,  never  rises  to  passion,  and  there 
fore  never  produces  action.  Philosophers  tell  us 
that  a  thought  of  virtue  passing  often  through  the 


220  A  DIALOGUE. 

mind,  without  being  wrought  out  into  a  fact,  weakens 
the  moral  sense ;  thus  people  may  read  the  best  of 
books,  and  witness  the  finest  exhibitions  of  moral 
beauty,  and  constantly  retrograde  in  virtue.  The 
dissolute  characters  of  players,  who  continually  utter 
the  loftiest  sentiments,  and  practice  the  lowest  vices, 
are  accounted  for  on  this  principle  ;  and  we  ought"  to 
judge  the  theatre  as  we  do  slavery,  by  its  demoraliz 
ing  effect  upon  those  engaged  in  it. 

Mr.  F.  Do  you  mean  to  say,  Eebecca,  that  slave- 
holding  has  the  same  effect  upon  me  that  stage-play 
ing  has  upon  the  actor  ? 

Mrs.  G.  Well,  brother,  I  put  it  to  thy  own  consci 
ence.  Does  thee  not,  daily;  in  dealing  with  thy  slaves, 
stifle  thy  emotions  of  piety,  generosity,  and  love,  -and 
is  it  not  easier  to  do  this  now  than  it  was  twenty  years 
ago,  when,  with  a  heart  full  of  tenderness  and  truth, 
thee  left  us  for  thy  southern  home  ? 

Mr.  F.  (Rising  and  pacing  the  room  with  great  agi 
tation.)  ISTow,  sister,  you  are  going  to  introduce  an 
other  absurdity !  Do  I  practice  the  principles  learned 
in  the  nursery  ?  No,  I  do  not !  Do  I  believe  "  honesty 
is  the  best  policy  "  and  its  kindred  humbugs  ?  Of 
course  I  don't !  Show  me  the  man  who  does  ?  Do  I 


A  DIALOGUE.  221 

follow  the  precepts  of  the  sermon  on  the  Mount  ?  Not 
I !  The  man  who  should  undertake  to  do  so  would 
make  himself  a  perfect  laughing-stock.  I  should  like 
to  see  one  of  your  northern  hypocrites  attempt  it. 
Ila!  IIP!  ha !  "Lay  not  up  treasure  upon  earth," 
and  "take  no  thought  for  the  morrow;"  why,  what 
else  do  people  take  thought  for,  either  North  or 
South  ?  It  is  riot  what  they  shall  eat,  drink,  or  wear 
to  day,  that  worries  them,  but  how  they  shall  lay  up 
something  for  themselves  or  their  children  hereafter. 
You  silly  women  are  always  talking  about  righteous 
ness,  as  if  you  really  thought  it  could  enter  in  human 
plans,  but  we  men  of  the  world,  who  have  to  wring 
the  precious  dollar  from  the  hard  hand  of  labor,  know 
better !  I  tell  you,  Rebecca,  I  don't  believe  there  is  a 
business-man  in  your  pious  Quaker  city  even,  who 
would  dare  acquaint  his  wife  and  daughters  with  all 
his  little  arrangements  for  amassing  wealth.  Ha!  ha! 
ha  !  How  the  pretty  things  would  stare  at  the  tricks 
of  the  trade,  and  simper:  "  Is  that  right?"  As 
though  anybody  thought  business  principles  were 
gospel  principles !  As  though  they  expected  a  man 
was  going  to  love  his  neighbor  as  himself,  when  he 
was  making  a  bargain  with  him  I  It  provokes  "me  to 


222  A  DIALOGUE. 

see  you  make  yourself  so  ridiculous !  You  ought  to 
know  that  every  man  acts  on  the  principle,  that 
"  "Wealth  is  the  chief  good  ;"  and  you  ought  to  know, 
too,  that  there  the  slaveholders  have  the  advantage  of 
you  entirely.  They  do  right  to  work,  and  grind  it 
out  of  the  slaves  on  a  large  scale,  and  call  Abraham 
and  Moses  to  witness  the  patriarchal  method,  while 
your  northern  mercenaries  scheme  and  speculate  how 
they  can  turn  a  penny  out  of  ignorance  and  poverty, 
and  have  not  even  the  apology  of  a  precedent  for 
their  meanness.  Why,  one  of  our  generous  southern 
planters  is  as  far  above  one  of  your  stingy  shave-three- 
cents-on-a-yard-tradesmen,  as  Eobin  Hood  is  above  a 
miserable  tea-spoon  burglar.  The  south  sails  under 
false  colors,  does  it  ?  What  flag  do  your  platform 
men  give  to  the  wind,  I  should  like  to  know  ?  What 
do  they  care  for  the  Fugitive  Slave  Law  ?  Half  of 
them  would  help  a  runaway  to  Canada  with  as  good  a 
will  as  they'd  eat  their  dinner.  (Coming  close  and 
sitting  down,  so  as  to  look  fixedly  in  her  face.)  I'll  tell 
you  what,  sister,  the  chivalry  of  the  south  responds  to 
you  northern  Christians  who  prate  so  loud  of  brother 
hood  and  charity,  in  the  words  of  young  Cancer  to 


A  DIALOGUE.  223 

his   mother — "  Libenter   tuis  prceceptis   obsequar,  si   te 
prius  idem  facientem  videro" 

Mrs.  G.  (very  gently)  These  strictures,  brother,  are 
too  keenly  just.  They  remind  me  of  Kossuth's  asser 
tion,  that  there  is  not  yet  a  Christian  nation  on  the 
earth,  nor  yet  a  Christian  church,  that  dare  venture 
entirely  upon  the  principles  of  the  Gospel.  Still,  the 
aberration  of  reformers  proves  no  more  in  favor  of 
slavery,  than  the  vices  and  miseries  of  civilized  life 
prove  that  barbarism  is  the  natural  and  happy  state 
of  the  human  race  ;  nay,  these  very  aberrations  prove 
that  a  centripetal  power  counteracts  the  opposing  force, 
and  holds  them  within  the  genial  influence  of  the 
sun  of  truth. 

The  law  of  spiritual  gravitation  is  little  understood. 
But  thousands  of  philosophers  are  closely  observing 
the  phenomena,  and  carefully  comparing  them  with 
the  data  given  in  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount ;  and  it  is 
not  too  much  to  hope  that  this  generation  will  give  to 
the  world  a  Newton,  whose  moral  mathematics  shall 
demonstrate  that  the  laiv  of  love  is  the  true  theory  of 
individual  and  national  prosperity. 

Mr.  F.  "Well,  sister,  I  wish  you  much  joy  of  your 
millennial  state  ;  but  before  the  Sermon" on  the  Mount 


224  A  DIALOGUE. 

becomes  the  code  of  nations,  I  guess  you  will 
find- 

Mr.  D.  (interrupting)  "  A  little  more  grape.  Captain 
Bragg  I" 

Frank.  I  tell  }rou,  uncle,  "  there's  a  good  time 
coming."  Mother  is  a  prophet.  I  have  watched  her 
words  all  my  life,  and  I  never  knew  them  fall  to  the 
ground. 

Mrs.  Gr.  Observe,  my  friends,  that  the  Sermon  on 
the  Mount  puts  blessing  before  requirement.  If  you 
accept  these  beatitudes  as  the  gift  of  your  Divine 
Master,  you  will  find  that  obedience  to  the  precepts 
which  follow,  is  not  the  unwilling  service  of  a  bonds 
man,  but  the  free  and  natural  action  of  an  unfranchised 
spirit. 


CLOVER  STREET  SEM.,  November  10th,  1853. 


^  Cime  of  fustice  toill  Come 

TTTE  are  conscious  of  the  odium  •  that  rests  upon  us. 
We  feel  that  we  are  wronged ;  but  we  are  not 
impatient  for  the  righting  of  our  wrongs.  "We  bide 
our  time.  The  men  that  shall  come  after  us,  will  do 
us  justice.  The  present  generation  of  America  cannot 
"judge  righteous  judgment,"  in  the  case  of  the  uncom 
promising  friends  of  freedom,  religion,  and  law.  They 
are  so  debauched  and  blinded  by  slavery,  and  by  the 
perverse  and  low  ideas  of  freedom,  religion,  and  law, 
which  it  engenders,  that  they  "call  evil  good,  and 
good  evil ;  put  darkness  for  light,  and  light  for  dark 
ness  ;  put  bitter  for  sweet,  and  sweet  for  bitter."  They 
have  been  living  out  the  lie  of  slavery  so  long,  and 
have  been,  thereby,  deadening  their  consciences  so 
long,  as  to  be  now  well  nigh  incapable  of  perceiving 
the  wide  and  everlasting  distinctions  between  truth 
and  falsehood. 

GEBRITT  SMITH. 

10* 


Coitfuiettce, 


!  WHAT  a  strange  tiling  is  the  human  heart ! 

With  its  youth,  and  its  joy  and  fear  ! 
It  doats  upon  creatures  that  day-dreams  impart, — 
Full  sorely  it  grieves  when  their  beauties  depart, 

And  weeps  bitter  tears  over  their  bier. 

The  veriest  gleamings  that  dart  into  birth, 

Reveal  to  its  being  of  light : 
The  dimliest  shadows  that  flit  upon  earth, 
Allure  it,  with  promise  of  pleasure  and  mirth 

In  a  country,  where  never  is  night. 

It  leaves  the  sure  things  of  its  own  real  home, 

To  pursue  the  mere  phantoms  of  thought ! 
"Well  knowing,  that  certain,  there  soon  must  come, 
An  end  to  the  visions,  that  so  gladsome, 
It  bewilder'd,  has  eagerly  sought 


J.CBnHre 


HOPE  AND  CONFIDENCE.  227 

It  Seeth  the  wholesome  prose  of  life, 

With  its  riches  all  sure  and  told : 
And  scorning  the  beauties,  that  calmly  in  strife 
Truth  fashions,  it  longs  for  the  things  all  rife 

With  glitter,  and  color,  and  gold. 

It  buildeth  its  home  'neath  an  ever  calm  sky, 

Near  streams  wherein  crown-jewels  sleep, — 
And  there  it  reposeth  :  while  soothingly  nigh, 
Some  loved  one,  perchance,  doth  most  wooingly  sigh, 
As  the  zephyrs  all  fall-laden  creep. 

Thus  it  musingly  wasteth  its  strength,  in  dreams 

Of  bliss,  that  can  never  prove  true  : 
And  ever  it  revels  amid  what  seems, 
A  paradise  smiling  with  Hope's  warm  beams, 

And  flowers  all  spangled  with  dew. 

But,  even  as  flowers  are  broken  and  fade, 

And  yield  up  their  perfumes — their  souls, — • 
So  vanish  the  colors  of  which  dreams  are  made, — 
So  perish  the  structures  on  which  Hope  is  staid, 
And  the  treasures  to  which  the  heart  holds. 


228  HOPE  AND  CONFIDENCE. 

In  vain  does  it  follow  the  wandering  forms 

That  promise,  yet  always  recede  : — 
Too  briefly  the  sunshine  is  darkened  by  storms : 
Hope  minstrels  it  onward,  yet  never  informs 

Of  the  dangers  unseen,  that  impede. 

The  Heart  trusts  the  outward :  "  Of  man  'tis  the  whole." 

Thus  Confidence  clings  to  decay  ! 
It  feels  the  sweet  homage  that  riches  control, — 
And  laughs  in  contempt  at  the  wealth  of  the  soul : 

And  behold !  now,  friends  wait  for  their  prey. 

It  trusteth  in  glory,  and  beauty,  and  youth, — 

In  love-vows  that  ne'er  are  to  die : 
But  soon  the  Death-king,  in  whose  heart  is  no  ruth, 
Enfolds  it, — and  mounting  aloft,  of  Truth 

Thus  sings,  as  turns  glassy  the  eye. 

4'  There's  nothing  so  lovely  and  bright  below, 

As  the  shapes  of  the  purified  mind  ! 
Nought  surer  to  which  the  weak  heart  can  grow, 
On  which  it  can  rest,  as  it  onward  doth  go, 

Than  that  Truth  which  its  own  tendrils  bind. 


HOPE  AND  CONFIDENCE.  229 

"  Yes  !  Truth  opes  within  a  pure  sun-tide  of  bliss, 

And  shows  in  its  ever  calm  flood, 
A  transcript  of  regions,  where  no  darkness  is, 
Where  HOPE  its  conceptions  may  realize, 

And  CONFIDENCE  sleep  in  '  The  Good.' " 


tljiit  %afes  for  |tself. 

To  T  -  M  -  . 


TVISINTERESTED  benevolence,  my  dear  sir,  has 
nothing  at  all  to  do  with  abolitionism.  Nay,  I 
doubt  very  much  if  there  is  such  a  thing  as  disinter 
ested  benevolence  ;  but  be  this  as  it  may,  there  is  no 
occasion  for  it  in  the  anti-slavery  ranks. 

It  is  selfishness,  —  sheer  selfishness,  that  has  thus  far 
carried  on  the  war  with  slavery  and  wrong  in  all  times  ; 
and  selfishness  must  break  the  chains  of  the  American 
slave. 

Self-love  has  fixed  the  chain  around  the  arm  of  every 
leader  and  every  soldier  in  the  American  anti-slavery 
army.  "Where  would  "William  Lloyd  Garrison  have 
been  to-day,  if  any  combination  of  circumstances  could 
have  shut  in  his  soul's  deep  hatred  of  oppression,  and 
prevented  its  finding  utterance  in  burning  words? 


A  LETTER.  231 

He  would  have  been  dead  and  rotten.  It  is  necessary 
to  liis  own  existence  that  he  should  work, — work  for 
the  slave  ;  and  in  his  work  he  gratifies  all  the  strong 
est  instincts  of  his  nature,  more  completely  than  even 
the  grossest  sensualist  can  gratify  his,  by  unlimited  in 
dulgence. 

Gerritt  Smith,  too.  Suppose  he  was  compelled  to 
hoard  his  princely  fortune,  or  spend  it  as  most  others 
do  !  O  dear !'  what  a  dyspeptic  we  should  have  in  six 
months ;  and  all  the  hydropathic  institutes  in  the 
country  could  r.ever  keep  him  alive  five  years. 

John  P.  Hale  would  soon  be  done  with  his  rotund 
person  and  jovial  face,  if  he  could  no  longer  send  the 
sharp  arrows  of  his  wit  and  sarcasm  into  the  con 
sciences  of  his  human- whipping  neighbors. 

It  is  a  necessity  of  all  great  nations  to  hate  mean 
ness,  and  nothing  under  God's  heaven  ever  was  so 
mean  as  American  slavery.  Think  of  it.  Men  who 
swagger  around  with  pistols  and  bowie-knifes  to 
avenge  their  insulted  honor,  if  any  one  should  ques 
tion  it, — imagine  one  turning  up  his  sleeves  to  horse 
whip  an  old  woman  for  burning  his  steak,  or  pocket 
ing  her  wages,  earned  at  the  wash-tub  ! 

No  one  with  a  soul  above  that  of  a  pig-louse,  could 


232  A  LETTER  THAT 

help  loathing  the  system,  the  instant  he  saw  it  in  its 
native  meanness.  Then,  in  order  to  keep  his  own 
self-respect, — to  gratify  the  love  of  the  good  and  true 
in  his  own  soul,  he  must  express  that  loathing. 

No  disinterestedness  about  doing  right,  for  nobody 
can  be  so  much  interested  in  the  act  as  the  doer  of  it. 

Wrong-doing  is  the  only  possible  self-abnegation, 
of  which  the  whole  range  of  thought  admits. 

All  the  humiliation  and  agony  of  the  Saviour  him 
self,  were  necessary  to  himself.  Nothing  less  could 
have  expressed  the  infinite  love  of  the  Divine  nature ; 
and  in  working  out  a  most  perfect  righteousness  for 
those  he  loved,  he  also  wrought  out  a  most  perfect 
happiness  for  himself. 

The  eternal  law  of  God  links  the  happiness  of  all 
the  creatures  made  in  His  image  in  an  electric  chain, 
united  in  the  Divine  love ;  and  He,  who  has  "a  fellow- 
feeling  for  our  infirmities/'  has  given  us  a  fellow-feeling 
•with  the  sufferings  of  each  other.  So  that  no  soul  in 
which  the  Divine  image  is  not  totally  obscured,  can 
know  of  the  misery  of  another,  without  a  sympathetic 
throb  of  sorrow. 

The  true  heart  in  Maine  cannot  know  that  the  slave- 
mother  in  Georgia  is  weeping  for  her  children,  torn 


SPEAKS  FOE  ITSELF.  233 

from  her  arms  by  avarice,  without  feeling  her  anguish 
palpitating  in  its  inmost  core. 

It  is  the  pulsations  of  the  sympathetic  heart  which 
stretches  out  the  hand  to  interfere  between  her  and 
her  aggressor  ;  and  abolitionists  are  just  seeking  a 
soft  pillow  that  they  may  "  sleep  o'  nights." 

It  is  selfishness,  I  tell  you,  all  selfishness !  The 
great  whale  when  she  gives  up  her  own  large  life  to 
protect  her  young  one,  and  the  little  wren  when  she 
carries  all  the  nice  tit  bits  to  her  babies,  are  as  true  to 
themselves  as  the  old  pig  when  she  shoulders  all  her 
little  family  out  of  the  trough. 

The  whale  enjoys  death,  and  the  wren  her  little  fel 
lows'  supper,  with  a  better  zest  than  an  old  grunter 
does  her  corn,  and  Wm.  Gildersten  in  spending  money 
and  laboring  to  prevent  any  more  scenes  of  brutal  vio 
lence  in  his  State,  by  punishing  the  one  past,  gratifies 
his  own  loves  and  longings  quite  as  much  as  Judge 
Grier  in  grunting  out  his  wrath  against  all  lovers  of 
liberty. 

The  one  would  enjoy  being  hanged  for  the  cause  of 
God  and  Humanity,  more  than  the  other  would  the 
luxury  of  hanging  him,  even  if  he  could  have  all  the 
pleasure  to  himself, — be  not  only  judge  and  persecu- 


234  A  LETTER. 

tor,  as  he  prefers,  but  marshal,  jailor,  and  hangman 
to  boot. 

More  than  this,  every  creature,  so  far  as  other  crea 
tures  are  concerned,  has  a  right  to  be  happy  in  his  own 
way.  Nero  had  as  much  right  to  wish  for  power  to 
cut  off  all  the  heads  in  Italy  at  one  blow,  as  an  inno 
cent  pig  to  wish  for  capacity  to  eat  all  the  corn  in  the 
world.  Mankind  has  no  right  to  punish  either  for  the 
desire  or  its  manifestation,  They  should  only  make 
fences  to  prevent  the  accomplishment  of  the  wish. 

Americans  have  no  right  to  punish  Judge  Grier  for 
wishing  to  persecute  everybody  who  attempts  to  en 
force  State  laws  against  murderous  assaults  by  his 
officers.  They  should  content"  themselves  with  fenc 
ing  his  Honor  in,  or,  if  necessary,  putting  a  ring  in 
his  nose.  He  has  as  much  right  to  be  Judge  Grier  as 
George  Washington  had  to  be  George  Washington, 
and  is  no  more  selfish  in  following  the  instincts  of  his 
nature,  than  Washington  was  in  following  his. 
Without  any  great  respect, 

I  am  your  friend, 


&?< 


& 


©it  Jfmtom* 

ONCE  I  wished  I  might  rehearse 

Freedom's  paean  in  my  verse, 

That  the  slave  who  caught  the  strain 

Should  throb  until  he  snapt  his  chain. 

But  the  Spirit  said,  "  Not  so  ; 

Spe^k  it  not,  or  speak  it  low  ; 

Name  not  lightly  to  bo  said, 

Gift  too  precious  to  be  prayed, 

Passion  not  to  be  exprest 

Bat  by  heaving  of  the  breast  ; 

Yet, — would'st  thou  the  mountain  find 

Where  this  deity  is  shrined, 

"Who  gives  the  seas  and  sunset-skies 

Their  unspent  beauty  of  surprise, 

And,  when  it  lists  him,  waken  can 

Brute  and  savage  into  man ; 


236  ON  FKEEDOM. 

Or,  if  in  thy  heart  he  shine, 
Blends  the  starry  fates  with  thine, 
Draws  angels  nigh  to  dwell  with  thee, 
And  makes  thy  thoughts  archangels  be  ; 
Freedom's  secret  would'st  thou  know  ? — 
Eight  thou  feelest  rashly  do. 


HOT 


AN  ANTI-SLAVERY  REMINISCENCE. 

O  OME  years  ago  a  free  colored  woman,  who  was  born 
in  New  England,  and  had  gone  to  the  south  to  at 
tend  upon  some  family,  was  shipwrecked,  as  she  was 
returning  northwards,  on  the  coast  of  North  Carolina. 
She,  however,  as  well  as  some  of  the  crew  of  the 
vessel,  was  saved.  The  half-civilized  people  of  that 
region  rendered  some  assistance  to  the  shipwrecked 
party  ;  but  Mary  Smith  was  detained  by  one  of  the 
natives  a"s  a  slave. 

The  poor  woman  succeeded  in  getting  a  letter 
written  to  some  person  in  Boston,  in  which  the  parti 
culars  of  her  story  were  narrated.  Either  this  letter, 
or  one  afterwards  written,  contained  references  to  peo 
ple  in  Boston  wht>  were  acquainted  with  her. 


238  MAEY  SMITH. 

It  was  not  very  easy,  even  with  these  references,  to 
get  sufficient  evidence  to  prove  the  freedom  and  iden 
tity  of  an  obscure  person,  who  had  been  away  from 
Boston  for  some  years.  A  strong  interest,  however, 
was  felt  in  the  case  wherever  it  became  known.  And 
Eev.  Samuel  Snowden,  well-remembered  by  the  name 
of  Father  Snowden,  with  his  usual  indomitable  energy 
and  perseverance  in  aiding  persons  of  his  own  color 
in  distress,  succeeded  in  finding  people  in  Boston  who 
were  well  acquainted  with  Mary  Smith,  and  recollected 
her  having  left  that  place  to  go  to  the  south.  Pur 
suing  his  inquiries  with  great  diligence,  he  ascertained 
the  place  of  her  birth,  which  was  somewhere  in  New 
Hampshire.  I  forget  the  name  of  the  town. 

Affidavits  were  now  procured,  which  established'  the 
place  of  Mary  Smith's  birth,  her  residence  in  Boston, 
and  the  time  of  her  departure  for  the  south,  and  other 
circumstances  to  corroborate  her  story. 

Edward  Everett,  who  was  at  this  time  Governor  of 
Massachusetts,  at  the  request  of  Mary  Smith's  friends, 
forwarded  the  documents  they  had  obtained,  accom 
panied  with  an  urgent  letter  from  himself,  demanding 
her  release  from  captivity,  on  the  ground  of  her  being 
a  free  citizen  of  Massachusetts. 


MARY  SMITH.  239 

The  Governor  of  North  Carolina  replied  very 
courteously  to  Governor  Everett.  He  admitted  the 
right  of  the  woman  fo  her  freedom,  and  acknowl 
edged  that  no  person  in  North  Carolina  could  law 
fully  detain  her  as  a  slave.  But,  at.  the  same  time  he 
said,  that  as  Governor,  he  had  no  power  to  interfere 
with  the  person  who  held  her  in  custody.  The  de 
cision  on  her  right  to  freedom,  depended  on  another 
department  of  the  government.  He  promised,  how 
ever,  to  write  to  the  man  who  held  her,  and  solicit  her 
release. 

The  remonstrances  of  the  Governor  of  North  Caro 
lina  proved  successful.  Mary  Smith  soon  arrived  in 
Boston.  And  some  of  her  old  acquaintances  who 
had  given  the  evidence  which  led  to  her  release,  has 
tened  to  meet  her  and  congratulate  her  on  her  escape 
from  bondage.  At  the  meeting  they  looked  on  her 
for  some  moments  with  astonishment,  for  they  could 
trace  in  her  features  no  resemblance  to  their  former 
companion.  A  speedy  explanation  took  place,  from 
which  it  appeared  that  all  the  documents  sent  to 
North  Carolina  related  to  one  Mary  Smith ;  but  the 
woman  whose  liberty  they  procured,  was  another 
Mary  Smith. 


240  MARY  SMITH. 

Governor  Everett  had  a  hearty  laugh  when  Father 
Snowden  told  him  the  happy  result  of  his  letter  to  the 
Governor  of  North  Carolina. 

The  moral  of  this  story  is,  that  a  plain,  common 
name,  is  sometimes  more  useful  to  its  owner,  than  a 
more  brilliant  one. 


!N"oiE. — I  have  endeavored  to  give  the  facts  of  Mary  Smith's  story 
with  exact  accuracy,  writing  from  memory  only,  "without  the  aid  of 
anything  written.  It  is  possible  I  may  be  mistaken  in  some  imma 
terial  circumstance. 


J-mfam— 


"FREEDOM  and  Liberty  are  synonymes.  Freedom 
is  an  essence  ;  Liberty,  an  accident.  Freedom 
is  born  with,  a  man  ;  Liberty  may  be  conferred  on  him. 
Freedom  is  progressive  ;  Liberty  is  circumscribed. 
Freedom  is  the  gift  of  God  ;  Liberty,  the  creature  of 
society.  Liberty  may  be  taken  away  from  a  man  ; 
but,  on  whatsoever  soul  Freedom  may  alight,  the  courss 
of  that  soul  is  thenceforth  onward  and  upward  ;  so 
ciety,  customs,  laws,  armies,  are  but  as  wythes  in  its 
giant  grasp,  if  they  oppose,  instruments  to  work  its 
will,  if  they  assent.  Human  kind  welcome  the  birth 
of  a  free  soul  with  reverence  and  shoutings,  rejoicing 
in  the  advent  of  a  fresh  off-shoot  of  the  Divine  Whole, 
of  which  this  is  but  a  part. 


"\rOIJ  want  my  autograph.     Permit  me,  then,  to  sign 
myself  the  friend  of  every  effort  for  human  eman 
cipation   in  our   own   county,   and  throughout  the 
world.     God  speed  the  day  when  all  chains  shall  fall 
from  the  limbs  and  from  the  soul,  and  universal  lib 
erty  co-exist  with  universal  righteousness  and  univer 
sal  pcacq,     In  this  work  I  am 
Yours  truly, 

<^ 

Yoss,  Nov.  22J. 


Clie  Dptg  ^fliilopjr  of  tfje  Victim  0f 
t|e  Ifliiksfem  C 


"  TTE  was  approaclied  from  behind  by  Deputy  Mar 
shal  Wyncoop  and  his  assistants,  knocked  down 
with  a  mace  and  partially  shackled.  The  fugitive, 
who  had  unsuspectingly  waited  upon  them  daring 
their  breakfast  at  the  Phenix  Hotel,  was  -a  tall,  noble- 
looking,  remarkably  intelligent,  and  a  nearly  white 
mulatto  ;  after  a  desperate  effort  and  severe  struggle, 
he  shook  off  his  five  assailants,  and  with  the  loss  of 
everything  but  a  remnant  of  his  shirt,  rushed  from 
the  house  and  plunged  into  the  water,  exclaiming:  "  I 
will  drown  rather  than  be  taken  alive."  He  was  pur 
sued  and  fired  upon  several  times,  the  last  ball  taking 
effect  in  his  head,  his  face  being  instantly  covered 
with  blood.  He  sprang  up  and  shrieked  in  great 
agony,  and  no  doubt  would  have  sunk  at  once,  but 


244  A  DYING  SOLILOQUY. 

for  the  buoyancy  of  the  water.  Seeing  his  condition, 
the  slave-catchers  retreated,  coolly  remarking  that 
"  dead  niggers  were  not  worth  taking  South." 

Than  be  a  slave, 

Dread  death  I'll  brave, 
And  hail  the  moment  near, 

When  the  soul  mid  pain, 

Shall  burst  the  chain 
That  long  has  bound  it  here. 

Earth's  thrilling  pulse, 

Man's  stern  repulse, 
This  weary  heart  no  longer  feels  ; 

Its  beating  hushed 

Its  vain  hopes  crushed, 
It  craves  that  life  which  death  reveals. 

That  moment  great 

My  soul  would  wait, 
In  awe  and  peace  sublime ; 

Nor  bitter  tears, 

Nor  slave-born  fears, 
As  I  pass  from  earth  to  time. 


A  DYING  SOLILOQUY.  245 

-  The  angry  past, 

Like  phantoms  vast, 
Glides  by  like  the  rushing  wave  ; 

So  soon  shall  I, 

Forgotten  lie, 
In  the  depths  of  my  briny  grave.  * 

The  time  shall  be, 

"  When  no  more  sea" 
Shall  hide  its  treasures  lone  ; 

Then  my  soul  shall  rise, 

Clothed  for  the  skies, 
To  find  its  blissful  home. 

Foul  deeds  laid  wrong 

The  whip  and  thong, 
Have  scored  my  manhood's  heart, 

But  ne'er  again 

Shall  fiends  constrain 
My  body  to  the  slave's  vile  mart. 

The  'whelming  wave, 
This  corpse  shall  lave  ; 
Let  the  winds  still  pipe  aloud, 


246  A  DYING  SOLILOQUY. 

Let  tlie  waters  lash, 
The  white  foam  dash, 
O'er  my  mangled  brow  and  bloody  shroud. 

Eoll  on,  thoii  free, 

Unfettered  sea, 
Thy  restless  moan,  my  dirge, 

My  cradle  deep 

In  my  last  lone  sleep, 
Is  the  scoop  of  thy  hollow  surge. 

Would  I  might  live, 

One  glance  to  give, 
To  those  whose  hearts  would  bless, 

Each  word  of  love, 

All  price  above, 
As  mine  to  theirs  I  press. 

'  The  wish  is  vain  ; 

My  frenzied  brain, 
Is  dark'ning  even  now  ; 
^  Above,  above, 

Is  Heaven's  love, 
And  mercy's  wide  arched  bow. 


A  DYING  SOLILOQUY.  247 

Glad  free-born  soul 

With  grateful  hold, 
Now  grasp  the  gift  from  Heav'n — 

Thy  freedom  won, 

New  life  begun, 
Forgive,  thou'rt  there  forgiv'n. 


all  be  |rcc. 


UNBOUNDED  in  thy  expanse — far  reaching 

From  shore  to  shore — ever  beautiful 

Are  thy  crystal  waters — 0  sea. 

Beautiful — when  thy  waves,  the  white  pebbles  lave, 

When  the  weary  sea-birds  sleep,  upon  the  bosom  of 

the  deep. 

But  when  thy  storm-pressed  billows  burst, 
The  grasp  which  man  would  "Jay  upon  thy  mane," 
Then  do  I  most  love  thee,  sea, 
Thou  emblem  of  the  Free. 

When  above  me  beam  the  stars,    . 

How  beautiful  in  their  infinitude  of  light, 

O'er  the  blue  heavens  spread,  like  gems 

Upon  the  brow  of  youth  ! 

Far,  far  away,  beyond  the  paths  of  day, 


LET  ALL  BE  FREE.  249 

More  glorious  yet,  as  suns  which,  never  set, 
In  darkness  never  !  but  shining  forever  1 
You  are  more  loved  by  me — 
Ye  emblems  of  the  Free. 


All  earth  of  the  beautiful  is  full. 

Beautiful  the  streams  which  leave  the  rural  vales, 

Fringed  with  scarlet  berries  and  leafy  green! 

0  world  of  colors  infinite,  and  lines  of  ever- varying 

grace, 

How  by  sea  and  shore  art  thou  ever  beautiful ! 
But  the  torrent  rushing  by,  and  the  eagle  in  the  sky, 
The  Alpine  heights  of  snow  where  man  does  never  go, 
More  lovely  are  to  me, 
For  they  are  Free. 

Beautiful  is  man,  and  yet  more  beautiful 

"Woman  :  coupled  by  bare  circumstance 

Of  place  or  gold,  still  beautiful. 

But  this  must  fade  ! 

Only  the  soul,  grows  never  old  : 

They  most  agree,  who  most  are  free : 

Liberty  is  the  food  of  love  ! 
11* 


250  LET  ALL  BE  FEEE. 

The  heavens,  the  earth,  man's  heart,  and  sea, 
Forever  cry,  let  all  be  Free ! 


KENTUCKY,  1853. 


ed  try  J  C .  Buttre . 


J 


To  the  Editor  of  the  "  Autographs  for  Freedom" 

DEAR  MADAM, — 

If  the  enclosed  paragraph  from  a  speech  of  mine  delivered  in 
May  last,  at  the  anniversary  meeting  of  the  American  and  Foreign 
Anti-Slavery  Society,  sholl  be  deemed  suited  to  the  pages  of  the  forth 
coming  annual,  please  accept  it  as  my  contribution. 
With  great  respect, 


; 

ROCHESTER,  November,  1853. 

Qfr  £  I  IT  H  £  I » 

TYTO  colored  man,  with  any  nervous  sensibility,  can 
stand  before  an  American  audience  without  an  in 
tense  and  painful  sense  of  the  disadvantages  imposed 
by  his  color.  He  feels  little  borne  up  by  that 
brotherly  sympathy  and  generous  enthusiasm,  which 
give  wings  to  the  eloquence,  and  strength  to  the 
hearts  of  other  men,  who  advocate  other  and  more 
popular  causes.  The  ground  which  a  colored  man 
occupies  in  this  country  is,  every  inch  of  it,  sternly 


252  EXTRACT. 

disputed.  Sir,  were  I  a  white  man,  speaking  for  the 
right  of  white  men,  I  should  in  this  country  have  a 
smooth  sea  and  a  fair  wind.  It  is,  perhaps,  creditable 
to  the  American  people  (and  I  am  not  the  man  to  de 
tract  from  their  credit)  that  they  listen  eagerly  to  the 
report  of  wrongs  endured  by  distant  nations.  The 
Hungarian,  the  Italian,  the  Irishman,  the  Jew  and  the 
Gentile,  all  find  in  this  goodly  land  a  home ;  and 
when  any  of  them,  or  all  of  them,  desire  to  speak, 
they  find  willing  ears,  warm  hearts,  and  open  hands. 
For  these  people,  the  Americans  have  principles  of 
justice,  maxims  of  mercy,  sentiments  of  religion,  and 
feelings  of  brotherhood  in  abundance.  But  for  my 
poor  people,  (alas,  how  poor !) — enslaved,  scourged, 
blasted,  overwhelmed,  and  ruined,  it  would  appear 
that  America  had  neither  justice,  mercy,  nor  religion. 
She  has  no  scales  in  which  to  weigh  our  wrongs,  and 
no  standard  by  which  to  measure  our  rights.  Just 
here  lies  the  grand  difficulty  of  the  colored  man's 
cause.  It  is  found  in  the  fact,  that  we  may  not  avail 
ourselves  of  the  just  force  of  admitted  American  prin 
ciples.  If  I  do  not  misinterpret  the  feelings  and  phil 
osophy  of  my  white  fellow-countrymen  generally,  they 
wish,  us  to  understand  distinctly  and  fully  that  they 


EXTRACT.  253 

have  no  other  use  for  us  whatever,  than  to  coin  dol 
lars  out  of  our  blood. 

Our  position  here  is  anomalous,  unequal,  and  exjtra- 
ordinary.  It  is  a  position  to  which  the  most  courage 
ous  of  our  race  cannot  look  without  deep  concern. 
Sir,  we  are  a  hopeful  people,  and  in  this  we  are  for 
tunate  ;  but  for  this  trait  of  our  character,  we  should 
have,  long  before  this  seemingly  unpropitious  hour, 
sunk  down  under  a  sense  of  utter  despair. 

Look  at  it,  sir.  Here,  upon  the  soil  of  our  birth,  in 
a  country  which  has  known  us  for  two  centuries, 
among  a  people  who  did  not  wait  for  us  to  seek  them, 
but  who  sought  us,  found  us,  and  brought  us  to  their 
own  chosen  land, — a  people  for  whom  we  have  per 
formed  the  humblest  services,  and  whose  greatest  com 
forts  and  luxuries  have  been  won  from  the  soil  by  our 
sable  and  sinewy  arms,' — I  say,  sir,  among  such  a 
people,  and  with  such  obvious  recommendations  to 
favor,  we  are  far  less  esteemed  than  the  veriest 
stranger  and  sojourner. 

Aliens  are  we  in  our  native  land.  The  fundamental 
principles  of  the  republic,  to  which  the  humblest  white 
man,  whether  born  here  or  elsewhere,  may  appeal 
with  confidence  in  the  hope  of  awakening  a  favorable 


254  EXTRACT, 

response,  are  held  to  be  inapplicable  to  us.     The 
glorious  doctrines  of  your  revolutionary  fathers,  and 
the*  more  glorious  teachings  of  the  Son  of  God,  are 
construed  and  applied  against  us.     We  are  literally 
scourged  beyond  the  beneficent  range  of  both  authori 
ties, — human  and  divine.     "We  plead  for  our  rights,  in 
the  name  of  the  immortal  declaration  of  independence, 
and  of  the  written  constitution  of  government,  and  we 
are  answered  with  imprecations  and  curses.     In  the 
sacred  name  of  Jesus  we  beg  for  mercy,  and  the  slave- 
whip,  red  with  blood,  cracks  over  us  in  mockery.    We 
invoke  the  aid  of  the  ministers  of  Him  who  came  "  to 
preach  deliverance  to  the  captive,"  and  to  set  at  lib 
erty  them  that  are  bound,  and  from  the  loftiest  sum 
mits  of  this  ministry  comes  the  inhuman  and  blasphem 
ous  response,  saying :  if  one  prayer  would  move  the 
Almighty  arm  in  mercy  to  break  your  galling  chains, 
that  prayer  would  be  withheld.     We  cry  for  help  to 
humanity — a  common  humanity,  and  here  too  we  are 
repulsed.     American  humanity  hates  us,  scorns  us, 
disowns  and  denies,  in  a  thousand  ways,  our  very  per 
sonality.     The  outspread  wing  of  American  Christian 
ity,  apparently  broad  enough  to   give   shelter  to  a 
perishing  world,  refuses  to  cover  us.    To  us,  its  bones 


E2TKACT,  255 

are  brass,  and  its  feathers  iron.  In  running  thither 
for  shelter  and  succor,  we  have  only  fled  from  the 
hungry  bloodhound  to  the  devouring  wolf, — from  a 
corrupt  and  selfish  world  to  a  hollow  and  hypocritical 
church. 


(Ertntct  from  an  anpMis||e&.ffrm  ait 


OH,  Freedom  !  when  thy  morning  marcli  began, 

Coeval  with  the  birth  and  breath  of  man  ; 

"Who  that  could  view  thee  in  that  Asian  clime, 

God-born,  soul-nursed,  the  infant  heir  of  time  — 

"Who  that  could  see  thee  in  that  Asian  court, 

Flit  with  the  sparrow,  with  the  lion  sport, 

Talk  with  the  murmur  of  the  babbling  rill 

And  sing  thy  summer  song  upon  the  hill  — 

Who  that  could  know  thee  as  thou  wast  inwrought 

The  all  in  all  of  nature's  primal  thought, 

And  see  thee  given  by  Omniscient  mind, 

A  native  boon  to  lord,  and  brute,  and  wind, 

Could  e'er  have  dreamed  with  fate's  prophetic  sleep, 

The  darker  lines  thy  horoscope  would  keep, 

Or  trembling  read,  thro'  tones  with  horror  thrilled, 

The  damned  deeds  thy  future  name  would  gild  ? 


ON  FREEDOM.  257 

Lo  !  The  swart  chief  of  Afric's  vergeless  plains, 
Poor  Heaven- wept  child  of  nature's  joys  and  pains, 
Mounts  his  fleet  steed  with  wind-directed  course, 
Nor  checks  again  his  free  unbridled  horse, 
But  lordless,  wanders  where  his  will  inclines 
From.  Tuats  heats  to  Zegzeg's  stunted  pines  I 
View  him,  ye  craven  few,  ye  living-dead ! 
Wrecks  of  a  being  whence  the  soul  has  fled  I 
Ye  Goths  and  Yandals  of  his  plundered  coast ! 
Ye  Christian  Bondous,  who  of  feeling  boast, * 
Who  quickly  kindling  to  historic  fire 
Contemn  a  Marius'  or  a  Scylla's  ire,f 

*  "  Ye  Christian  Bondous  who  of  feeling  boast  1" 

Unable  in  the  whole  range  of  my  vernacular,  to  find  an  epithet 
sufficiently  expressive  to  enunciate  the  aggravated  contempt  which  all 
feel  for  that  pseudonymous  class  of  philanthropists,  who  flauntingly 
parade  a  pompous  sympathy  with  popular  and  distant  distresses,  but 
studiously  cultivate  a  coarse  ignorance  of,  and  hauteur  to,  the  Greeks, 
which  "  are  at  the  door,"  I  have  had  recource  to  the  Metonymy,  JBondou, 
as  rendered  mournfully  significant  through  the  melancholy  fate  of 
the  illustrious  Houghton. — Vide  Report  African  Discovery  Society. 

\  "  Contemn  a  Marius'  or  a  Scylla's  ire." 

Napoleon  in  his  protest  to  Lord  Bathurst,  provoked  by  the  petty 
tyranny  of  Sir  Hudson  Lowe,  said  of  the  "  Proscriptions,"  and  (by  nega 
tive  inference)  in  extenuation  of  them,  that  they  "were  made  with  the 
blood  yet  fresh  upon  the  sword."  A  sentence,  which,  falling  from  the  lips 
of  one  of  the  mostimperturbably  cool  and  calculating  of  mankind,  un 
der  circumstances  superinducing  peculiar  reflection  on  every  word 
uttered,  cannot  but  come  with  the  force  of  a  whole  volume  of  excoria- 


258  ON  FKEEDOM. 

Or  kindly  lulled  to  sympathetic  glow, 
Lament  the  martyrs  of  some  far-off  woe, 
And  tender  grown,  with  sorrow  hugely  great, 
Weep  o'er  an  Agis'  or  Jugurtha's  fate  !  * 
View  him,  ye  hollow  heartlings  as  he  stalks 
The  dauntless  monarch  of  his  native  walks 
Breathes  the  warm  odor  which  the  girgir  bears,  f 

live  evidence  against  the  demoralization  of  war,  even  upon  the  most 
abstracted  and  elevated  natures.— Vide  Letters  of  Mont/iolon  and  Las 
Cases. 

*  "  Weep  o'er  an  Agis'  or  Jugurtha's  fate." 

Agis,  King  of  Lacedemou  and  colleague  of  Leouidas,  was  a  youth  of 
singular  purity  and  promise.  Aiming  to  correct  the  abuses  which  had 
crept  into  the  Spartan  polity,  he  introduced  regenerative  laws. 
Among  others,  one  for  the  equalization  of  property,  and  as  an  exam 
ple  of  disinterested  liberality,  shared  his  estate  with  the  community. 
Unappreciated  by  the  degenerated  Senate  however,  he  was  deposed, 
and,  with  his  whole  family,  strangled  by  order  of  the  ingrate  State. — 
Edin.  Encyc. 

It  is  said  that  when  Jugurtha  was  led  before  the  car  of  the  con- 
querer,  he  lost  his  senses.  After  the  triumph  he  was  thrown  into 
prison,  where,  whilst  they  were  in  haste  to  strip  him,  some  tore  his 
robes  off  his  back,  and  others,  catching  eagerly  at  his  pendants,  pulled 
off  the  tips  of  his  ears  with  them.  When  he  was  thrust  down  naked 
into  the  dungeon,  all  wild  and  confused,  he  said,  with  a  frantic  smile, 
"  Heavens  !  how  cold  is  this  bath  of  yours  !"  There  struggling  for  six 
days  with  starvation,  and  to  the  last  hour  laboring  for  the  preserva 
tion  of  his  life,  he  came  to  his  end. — Plut.  Cai.  Mar. 

f  "Breathes  the  •warm  odor  which  the  girgir  bears." 

The  girgir,  or  the  geshe  el  aube,  a  species  of  flowering  grass. 
Piercing,  fragrant,  and  grateful  in  its  odor,  it  operates  not  unlike 
a  mild  stimulant,  when  respired  for  any  length  of  time,  and  is 
found  chiefly  near  the  borders  of  small  streams  and  in  the  vicinage 
Of  the  Tassada.— -Lyn.  GuL  and  Soud. 


ON  FREEDOM.  259 

Shouts  the  fierce  music  of  his  savage  airs, 
Or  madly  brave  in  hottest  chase  pursues 
The  tawny  monster  of  the  desert  dews  ; 
Eager,  erect,  persistent  as  the  storm, 
Soul  in  his  mien,  God's  image  in  his  form  ! 
Yes,  view  him  thus,  from  Kaffir  to  Soudan, 
And  tell  me,  worldlings,  is  the  black  a  man  ? 

See,  the  full  sun  emerging  from  the  deep, 
Climbs  with  red  eye,  the  light-illumined  steep, 
And  bright!"  beautiful  continuous  smiles 
A  fecund  blessing  on  those  Indian  Isles  ! 
Like  eastern  woods  which  sweeten  as  they  burn, 
So,  the  parched  earths  to  odorous  flowrets  turn, 
And  feathered  fayes  their  murmurous  wings  expand, 
Waked  by  the  magic  of  his  conjuror's  wand, 
Flash  their  red  plumes,  and  vocalize  each  dell 
Where  browse  the  fecho  and  the  dun-gazelle,* 

*  "Where  browse  the  fecho  an<jl  the  dun-gazelle." 

Among  the  wild  animals  are  prodigious  numbers  of  the  vari 
colored  species  of  the  gazelle,  the  bohur  sassa,  fecho,  and  mado- 
qua.  They  are  extremely  numerous  in  the  provinces  depopulated 
by  war  and  slavery,  enjoying  the  wild  oats  of  the  deserted  hamlets 
without  fear  of  molestation  from  a  returning  population. — Notes  on 
Central  Africa* 


260  ON  FREEDOM. 

"While  half  forgetful  of  her  changing  sphere, 
The  loathful  summer  lingers  year  by  year. 
Here,  in  the  light  of  God's  supernal  eye — 
His  realms  unbounded,  and  his  woes  a  sigh— 
The  dusky  son  of  evening  placed  whileome 
"Found  with  the  Gnu  an  ever- vernal  home, 
And  wiser  than  Athenas'  wisest  schools,* 
Nor  led  by  zealots,  nor  scholastic  rules, 
Gazed  at  the  stars  that  stud  yon  tender  blue, 
And  hoped,  and  deemed  the  cheat  of  death  untrue  ; 


*  "  And  wiser  than  Athenas'  wisest  schools, 
Nor  led  by  zealots,  nor  scholastic  rules, 
Gazed  at  the  stars  which  stud  yon  tender  blue, 
And  hoped  and  deemed  the  cheat  of  death  untrue." 

Though  Socrates  and  Plato,  particularly  the  former,  are  generally 
admitted  by  writers  of  authority,  among  whom,  indeed,  are 
Polycarpe,  Chrysotom,  and  Eusebius,  to  have  in  a  manner  sus 
pected  rather  than  believed,  the  immortality  of  the  soul ;  yet  we 
have  no  evidence  of  their  ever  having,  by  the  finest  process  of 
ratiocination,  so  thoroughly  convinced  themselves  as  to  introduce 
it  generally  as  a  tenable  thesis  on  the  portico.  A  beautiful  thread 
of  implicit  belief  and  fervent  hope,  of  after  life,  assimilating  to  the 
hunting-ground  of  our  own  American  Indians,  and  though  sensuous 
ptill,  a  step  far  in  advance  of  the  black  void  of  ancient  philosophy, 
has  always  run  through  the  higher  mythologies  of  the  Negro.  So 
notorious,  indeed,  was  the  fact  among  early  Christians,  that  that 
ubiquitous  riddle,  "  Prestor  John,"  was,  by  believers,  regarded  as 
having  a  locale  in  Central  Africa ;  while  Henry  of  Portugal  actu 
ally  despatched  two  ambassadors,  Corvilla  and  Payvan,  to  a 
rumored  Christian  court,  south  of  the  Sahara. — Edin.  Encyc.  Early 
Chris.  His.  Port. 


ON  FREEDOM.  261 

Yet,  supple  sophist  to  a  plastic  mind* 
Saw  gods  in  woods,  and  spirits  in  the  wind, 
Heard  in  the  tones  that  stirred  the  waves  within, 
The  mingled  voice  of  Hadna  and  Odin, 
Doomed  the  fleeced  tenant  of  the  wild  to  bleed 
A  guileless  votive  to  his  harmless  creed, 
Then  gladly  grateful  at  each  rite  fulfilled, 
Sought  the  cool  shadow  where  the  spring  distilled, 
And  lightly  lab'rous  thro'  the  torpid  day, 
"Whiled  in  sweet  peace  the  sultry  eve  away. 

Or  if  perchance  to  nature  darkly  true, 
He  strikes  the  war-path  thro'  the  midnight  dew, 
Steals  in  the  covert  on  the  sleeping  foe, 
And  wreaks  the  horrors  of  a  barbarous  woe ;          » 
Yet,  yet  returning  to  the  home- girt  spot — 


*  "  Yet  supple  sophist  to  a  plastic  mind, 

Sees  gods  in  woods,  and  spirits  in  the  wind." 

The  imagination  of  the  African,  like  his  musical  genius,  which 
extracts  surprising  harmony  from  the  rudest  of  sources,  the  clapping 
of  hands,  the  clanking  of  chains,  the  resonance  of  lasso  wood,  and 
perforated  shells,  seems  to  invest  everything  with  a  resident  spirit 
of  peculiar  power.  Accordingly,  his  mythologies  are  most  numerous 
and  poetical — his  entire  catalogue  of  superior  gods  alone,  embrac 
ing  a  more  extended  length  than  the  Assy ro-Baby Ion  Alphabet, 
with  its  three  hundred  letters. 


262  ON  FREEDOM. 

The  vengeful  causes  and  the  deed  forgot — * 

Where  greenest  boughs  o'er  sloping  banks  impend, 

And  gurgling  waves  to  bosky  dells  descend ; 

Intent  the  long  expectant  brood  to  sea, 

He  halts  beneath  the  broad  acacia  tree  ; 

And  warmly  pressed  by  wonder-gloating  eyes, 

Displays  the  vantage  of  each  savage  prize ; 

Stills  with  glad  pride  and  plundered  gems,  uncouth, 

The  ardent  longings  of  his  daughter's  youth  ; 

Bids  the  dark  spouse  the  tropic  meal  prepare, 
Mid  laughing  echoes  from  the  bird-voiced  air ; 
Passes  before  him  in  a  fond  review 
The  merry  numbers  of  his  crisp-haired  crew  ;f 

9  *  "  The  vengeful  causes  and  the  deed  forgot." 

All  travellers  agree  in  the  facile  ductility  and  inertia-like  amia 
bility  of  the  native  African  character. — BKUWSTER  on  Africa. 

\  '•  The  merry  numbers  of  his  crisp-haired  crew." 

The  negro  race  is,  perhaps,  the  most  prolific  of  all  the  human 
species.  Their  infancy  and  youth  are  singularly  happy.  The 
parents  are  passionately  fond  of  their  children. — GOLDBURY'S 
Travels. 

"Strike  me,"  said  my  attendant,  "but  do  not  curse  my  mother." 
The  same  sentiment  I  found  universally  to  prevail. 

Some  of  the  first  lessons  in  which  the  Handings  women  instruct 
their  children  is  the  practice  of  t ruth.  -  It  was  the  only  consolation 
for  a  negro  mother,  whose  son  had  been  murdered  by  the  Moors, 
that  "the  boy  had  never  told  a  lie." — PARK'S  Travels. 


ON  FREEDOM.  263 

Recounts  the  dangers  of  the  last  night's  strife, 
Joys  with  their  joy,  and  lives  their  inner  life  ; 
And  then  when  slow  the  lengthened 'day  expires, 
Mid  twilight  balms  and  star-enkindled  fires,    • 
With  all  the  father  sees  each  form  retire, 
A  ruthless  heathen,  but  a  loving  sire.* 

Innocuously  thus,  thro'  long,  long  years 
Untaught  by  learning,  yet  unknown  to  fears, 
The  swarthy  Afric  while!  the  jocund  hours, 
A  petted  child  of  nature^  rosiest  bowers, 
Till  lured  by  wealth  the  hardy  Portuguese,f 
Seeks  the  green  waters  of  his  Eastern  seas, 

*  "  "With  all  the  father  sees  each  form  retire, 
A  ruthless  heathen,  but  a  loving  sire." 

"  Or  led  the  combat,  bold  without  a  plan, 
An  artless  savage,  but  a  fearless  man." 

CAMPBELL. 

f  "  Till  lured  by  wealth  the  hardy  Portuguese, 
Sought  the  green  waters  of  his  Eastern  seas, 
And  venturous  nations  more  excursive  grown, 
Pierced  his  glad  coast  from  radiant  zone  to  zone." 

Vasquez  de  Gama,  a  Portuguese  nobleman,  was  the  first  to  dis 
cover  a  maritime  passage  to  the  Indies;  unless,  perhaps,  we  credit ( 
the  improbable  achievement  of  the  Phoenicians,  related  by  Herodo 
tus  as  occurring,  604  B.C. 

De  Gama  doubled  the  cape  in  1498,  explored  the  eastern  shores  as 
far  as  Melinda,  in  Zanguebar,  and  sailing  thence  arrived  at  Calcutta 
in  May.  This  expedition,  second  to  none  in  its  results,  save  that  of 


264  ON  FREEDOM. 

And  venturous  nations  more  excursive  grown, 

Scan  his  glad  coast  from  radiant  zone  to  zone, 

Then  Fortune's  minion  in  a  foreign  clime, 

Cursed  by  his  own  and  damned  to  later  time, 

Of  incest  born  and  by  the  chances  thrown 

A  tainted  alien  on  a  ravished  throne, 

Gapes  the  foul  flatteries  of  a  fawning  train, 

And  fatuous  mock'ries,  which  themselves  disdain, 

A  fancied  monarch,  but  the  witless  sport 

Of  adulation,  and  a  practiced  court, 

Yaunts  to  his  broad  realms  and  Timour-like  proclaims 

Illusive  titles  of  barbaric  names, 

Cheats  his  own  nature,  and  now  generous  grown,* 

Columbus  six  years  before,  drew  the  attention  of  all  Europe.  Whole 
nations  became  actuated  by  the  same  enthusiasm,  and  private  com 
panies  of  merchants  sent  out  whole  fleets  on  voyages  of  discovery, 
scouring  the  entire  coast  from  Cape  Verd  to  Gaudfui,  and  discover 
ing  the  Mascharenhas  and  most  of  the. islands  of  the  Ethiopean 
Archipelago. 

*  "  Cheats  his  own  nature  and  now  generous  grown, 
Dispenses  realms  and  empires  not  his  own." 

Charles  V.  granted  a  patent  to  one  of  his  Flemish  favorites,  con 
taining  an  exclusive  right  to  import  four  thousand  negroes  1 — Hist. 
Slavery. 

The  crime  of  having^rs^  recommended  the  importation  of  African 
slaves  into  America,  is  due  to  the  Flemish  nobility,  who  obtained  a 
monopoly  of  four  thousand  negroes,  which  they  sold  to  some  Ge 
noese  merchants  for  25,000  ducats. — Life  of  Cardinal  Ximenes. 

They  (the  Genoese)  were  the  first  to  bring  into  a  regular  form, 


ON  FEEEDOM.  265 

Dispenses  souls  and  empires  not  his  own, 
Draws  the  deep  purple  round  his  royal  seat, 
Lifts  his  low  crest,  affects  the  God  complete, 
By  giving  with  light  breath,  oh,  shame  to  tell ! 
These  heirs  of  Heav'n  unto  the  fate  of  hell. 
Sped  by  the  mandate  of  his  recreant  train, 
Lo  !  commerce,  broad  winged  seraph  of  the  main  ! 
Shook  her  white  plumage  and  coqueting,  won 
Propitious  favors  from  the  southern  sun, 
Till  manly  hearts  and  keel-impelling  gales, 
Furled  on  the  coast  her  half-reluctant  sails. 

Abashed,  amazed,  with  fear-dilated  eye 
The  marvelling  tribes  these  new-born  wonders  spy  ; 
See  from  the  shore,  bright  glittering  in  the  sun, 
The  moving  freightage  of  each  galleon ; 
Wait  till  the  measured  strokes  of  oars  bring  near 
These  way-lost  wanderers  of  another  sphere, 
Then  timorously  glad,  yet  awe-struck  still, 
Lead  from  the  sunshine  to  the  breezy  hill ; 
"With  courteous  grace  a  resting  place  assign 
'Keath  rustling  leaves  and  grape-empurpled  vine, 

that  commerce  for  slaves,  between  Africa  and  America,  which  haa 
since  grown  to  such  an  amazing  extent. — Robertson. 

12 


266  ON  FREEDOM. 

And  led  by  craft  in  artless  pride  make  known 
The  lustrous  lurements  of  their  gorgeous  zone, 
As  in  the  field  some  skilful  ranger  sets 
The  fraudful  cordage  of  his  specious  nets, 
Places  some  fragrant  viand  in  the  snare, 
And  captive  takes  the  unsuspicious  hare  ; 
So  the  bold  strangers  with  superior  will 
Lay  their  base  plans  with  disingenuous  skill, 
Ope  their  stored  treasures  and  with  art  display 
Their  worthless  figments  to  the  air  of  day, 
Roll  their  large  lids,  and  with  grave  gestures  laud 
Each  tinsel  trinket  and  each  painted  gaud ; 
With  mystic  signs  of  strange  import  apply 
Some  gew-gaw  bauble  to  the  gloating  eye  ; 
Touch  with  nice  skill,  yet  craft- dissembled  smile, 
Gems  from  the  mine  and  spices  from  the  Isle, 
Affect  no  care,  yet  hope  a  thrifty  sale — 
The  wealth  of  Empires  in  th'  opposing  scale — 
While  he,  the  poor  victim  of  their  selfish  creed, 
Prescient  of  evil  art  foredoomed  to  bleed, 
Pleas  :d  yet  alarmed,  desiring  but  deterred, 
Flutters  still  nearer  like  a  snake-charmed  bird  ; 
Alas,  too  often  taken  with  a  toy — 
Too  soon  to  weep  a  kindred  fate  with  Troy  ! 


ON  FREEDOM.  267 

Evils  received,  like  twilight  stars  dilate, 
The  less  the  light,  the  larger  grows  their  state  ; 
Thus  the  first  error  in  that  savage  air, 
Spreads  as  a  flame,  and  leaves  a  ruin  there. 
Too  dearly  generous  and  too  warmly  true,* 
The  simple  black  wears  out  the  fatal  clew, — 
From  barter  flies  to  trade  ;  from  trade  to  wants ; 
From  wants  to  interests  and  derided  haunts; 
Thence,  rolls  from  off  the  once-sequestered  shore, 
The  turgid  tide  of  havoc  and  of  war  ; 
No  warning  ringing  from  the  red  adunes, 
No  prophets  rising,  and  no  Laocoons, 
Eemotest  tribes  the  baleful  influence  own  ; 
Feel  to  extremes,  and  at  their  centres  groan. 
Now  laughs  the  stranger  at  their  anguished  throes, f 
Feeds  on  their  ills,  and  battens  on  their  woes ; 

*  "  Too  warmly  generous  and  dearly  true, 
The  simple  black,"  <fcc. 

It  -will  remain  an  indelible  reproach  on  the  name  of  Europeans, 
that  for  more  than  three  centuries  their  intercourse  with  the 
Africans  has  only  tended  to  destroy  their  happiness  and  debase 
their  character. — Edin.  Ency. 

\  "  Now  laughs  the  stranger  at  their  anguished  throes." 

The  arts  of  the  slave-merchant  have  inflamed  the  hostility  of 
their  various  tribes,  and  heightened  their  ferocity  by  sedulously  in 
creasing  their  wars. — Ibid. 


268  ON  FREEDOM. 

Glads  his  freed  conscience  at  each,  pillaged  mine, 

And  finds  forgiveness  at  a  Christian  shrine  ; 

By  specious  creeds  and  sophists  darkly  taught,* 

To  semble  virtue  and  dissemble  thought, 

With  Saviour-seeming  smile,  adds  fuel  to  the  flame, — 

Ulysses'  craft,  without  Ulysses'  aim, — • 

And  sadly  faithful  to  his  dark  designs, 

Fiction  improves  ;  heroic  rage  refines ; 

For  lo  !  Achilles,  victor  of  the  train  I 

Draws  Hector  lifeless,  round  the  Ilian  plain  ; 

But  ah  !  these  later  Greeks  more  cruel  strive, 

And  bind  their  victim  to  the  load  alive  ! 

Oh,  beats  there,  Heaven,  beneath  thy  gorgeous  blue, 
One  heart  so  basely  to  itself  untrue, 
So  dead  of  pulse,  and  so  insensate  grown, 
It  feels  not  such  a  cause  dear  as  its  own  ? 

*  "  By  specious  creeds  and  sophists  darkly  taught." 
Hamlet's  advice  to  his  offending  mother ; — 

"  Assume  a  virtue,  tho'  you  have  it  not." 

Adding  hypocrisy  to  avowed  unworthiness,  was  the  acknowledged 
injunction  of  the  church,  wherever  and  whenever  she  participated 
in  secular  affairs,  with  a  view  of  emolument.  For  a  peculiar  illus 
tration  of  this  favorite  doctrine,  see  Clement  YI.'s  edict,  when,  in 
virtue  of  the  right  arrogated  by  the  holy  see  to  dispose  of  all  countries 
belonging  to  the  heathen,  he  erected  (1344)  the  Canaries  into  a  king 
dom,  and  disposed  of  them  to  Lewis  de  la  Corda,  a  prince  of  Castile. 


Otf    FllEEDOM.  269 

Dwells  tliere  a  being  'neath  thine  eye,  oh,  God  ! 

A  fellow- worm  from  out  the  self-same  clod, 

Whose  fevered  blood  does  not  impatient  boil, 

Fierce  as  a  tiger's  in  the  hunter's  toil, 

To  see  degenerate  men  and  States  prolong, 

So  foul  a  deed — so  thrice  accursed  a  wrong? 

Tell  me,  ye  loud-voiced  winds  that  ceaseless  roll, 

Eternal  miracles  from  pole  to  pole, 

Breathes  there  on  earth  so  vile  and  mean  a  thing 

That  crushed,  it  will  not  turn  again  and  sting  ? 

And  say  !  ye  tyrants  in  your  boasted  halls, 

Read  ye  no  warnings  on  your  darkened  walls  ? 

Hear  ye  no  seeming  mutterings  of  the  cloud 

Break  from  the  millions  which  your  steps  have  bowed  ? 

Think  ye,  ye  hold  in  your  ignoble  thrall, 

Mind,  soul,  thought,  taste,  hope,  feeling,  valor,  all? 

No ;  these  unfettered  scorn  your  nerveless  hand, 

Sport  at  their  will,  and  scoff  at  your  command, 

Eange  through  arcades  of  shadow-brooding  palms, 

Snuff  their  free  airs  and  breathe  their  floating  balms, 

Or  bolder  still,  on  fancy's  fiery  wing — * 

*  "  Or  bolder  still  on  fancy's  fiery  wing." 

That  I  do  not  exaggerate  the  belle  lettres  and  classical  accomplish 
ments  of  at  least  two  of  the  "chattels"  of  the  "peculiar  institu 
tion,"  in  the  lines  following  the  above,  see  "Poems  written  by 
Rosa  and  Maria,"  property  of  South  Carolina,  and  published  in- 1834. 


270  ON  FEEEDOM. 

Caught  from  their  letters  at  the  noon-day  spring — 

With  star-eyed  science,  and  her  seraph  train 

Eead  the  bright  secrets  of  yon  azure  plain ; 

Hear  Loxian  murmurs  in  Ehodolphe's  caves* 

Meet  with  sweet    answers  from  the  nymph- voiced 

waves ; 

Sit  with  the  pilot  at  Phoenicia's  helm, 
And  mark  the  boundries  of  the  Lybian  realm  ; 
See  swarthy  Memnon  in  the  grave  debate, 
Dispute  with  gods,  and  rule  a  conqu'ring  state, 
And  warmly  and  kindling  dare — yes,  dare  to  hope, 
A  second  Empire  on  the  future's  scope  ! 

And  thou,  my  country,  latest  born  of  time  I 
Dearest  of  all,  of  all  the  most  sublime ! 
How  long  shall  patriots  own,  with  blush  of  shame, 
So  foul  a  blot  upon  so  fair  a  name  ? 
How  long  thy  sons  with  filial  hearts  deplore, 
A  Python  evil  on  thy  Cyprean  shore  ? 

*  "  Hear  Loxian  murmurs  in  Rodolphe's  caves." 

Loxian  is  a  name  frequently  given  to  Apollo  by  Greek  \vriters, 
and  is  met  with,  more  than  once,  in  the  "  Chcephorse  of  Eschylus." 
— Campbell. 

Euripides  mentions  it  three  times,  and  Sophocles  twice,  its 
euphony  recommends  it  more  than  any  other  name  of  the  fair- 
haired  god. 


ON  FREEDOM.  271 

What !  and  wilt  thou,  the  moral  Hercules 

"Whose  youth  eclipsed  the  dream  of  Pericles, 

Whose  trunceant  bands  heroically  caught, 

The  Spartan  phalanx  with  the  Attic  thought, 

The  wizard  throne  of  age- nursed  error  hurled, 

Defied  a  tyrant  and  transfixed  a  world  ! 

Wilt  ihou  see  Afric  like  old  Priam  sue, 

The  bones  of  children  as  in  nature  due, 

And  foully  craven,  ingrate-like  forget, 

Thy  life,  thy  learning's  her  dishonored  debt  ? 

Say  ;  wilt  not  thou,  whose  time-ennobling  sons — 

Thy  Jay's,  thy  Franklin's  and  thy  Washington's, 

Caught  the  bright  cestus  from  fair  freedom's  God, 

And  bound  it  as  a  girdle  to  thy  sod ; 

Ah  1  wilt  not  thou  with  generous  mind  confess 

The  might  of  woe,  the  strength  of  helplessness  ? 

High-Heaven's  almoner  to  a  world  oppressed, 

Who  in  the  march  of  nations  led  the  rest !  * 

Will  there  no  Gracchus  in  thy  Senate  stand 

And  speak  the  words  that  millions  should  command  ? 

No  Clysthementhe  'neath  thy  broad  arched  dome, 

Predict  the  fortunes  with  the  crimes  of  Eome  ? 

*  "  And  in  the  march  of  nations  led  the  van" 

Campbell. 


272 


ON  FREEDOM. 


Shall  time  yet  partial  in  his  cycling  course, 

Bring  thee  no  Fox,  no  Pitt,  no  "Wilberforce  ? 

Still  must  thou  live  and  corybantic  die, 

A  traceless  meteor  in  a  clouding  sky; 

Thy  name  a  cheat ;  thyself,  a  world- wide  lie  ? 

JSTo  ;  there  will  come,  prophetic  hearts  may  trust, 

Some  embryo  angel  of  superior  dust, 

With  brow  of  cloud  and  tongue  of  livid  flame — 

Another  Moses,  but  in  time  and  name — 

Whose  Heaven-appealing  voice  shall  bid  thee  pass — 

On  either  hand  a  wall  of  living  glass  ; — 

Ope  for  the  Lybian  with  convulsive  shock 

His  more  than  Horeb's  adamantine  rock, 

And  gazing  from  some  second  Pisgah,  see 

Thy  idol  broken  and  thy  people  free. 


RICHMOND,  Dec.  1st,  1853. 


$ ;ti*r 

BROOKLYN,  December  6th,  1853. 

T)EAR  SIR,— 

Your  note  of  November  29th,  requesting  a 
line  from  me  for  the  Autographs  for  Freedom,  is  re 
ceived. 

I  wish  that  I  had  something  that  would  add  to  the 
literary  value  of  your  laudable  enterprise.  In  so  great 
a  cause  as  that  of  human  liberty,  every  great  interest 
in  society  ought  to  have  a  voice  and  a  decisive  testi 
mony.  Art  should  be  in  sympathy  with  freedom  and 
literature,  and  all  human  learning  should  speak  with 
unmistakable  accents  for  the  elevation,  evangelization, 
and  liberation  of  the  oppressed.  In  a  future  day,  the 
historian  cannot  purge  our  political  history  from  the 
shame  of  wanton  and  mercenary  oppression.  But 

there  is  not,  I  believe,  a  book  in  the  literature  of  our 

12* 


274 


A  LETTEE. 


country  that  will  be  alive  and  known  a  hundred  years 
hence,  in  which  can  be  found  the  taint  of  despotism. 
The  literature  of  the  world  is  on  the  side  of  liberty. 

I  am  very  truly  yours. 


as  S8*nt  at  f  laafort  fall. 


TT  was  a  pleasant  morning  in  May,  —  I  believe  that  is 
the  orthodox  way  of  beginning  a  story,  —  when  C. 
and  I  took  the  cars  to  go  into  the  country  to  Playford 
Hall.  "  And  what's  Playford  Hall  ?"  you  say.  "  And 
why  did  you  go  to  see  it  ?"  As  to  what  it  is,  here  is 
a  reasonably  good  picture  before  you.  As  to  why,  it 
was  for  many  years  the  residence  of  Thomas  Clarkson, 
and  is  now  the  residence  of  his  venerable  widow  and 
her  family. 

Playford  Hall  is  considered,  I  think,  the  oldest  of 
the  fortified  houses  in  England,  and  is,  I  am  told,  the 
only  one  that  has  water  in  the  moat.  The  water 
which  is  seen  girdling  the  wall  in  the  picture,  is  the 
moat  ;  it  surrounds  the  place  entirely,  leaving  no 
access  except  across  the  bridge,  which  is  here  repre 
sented. 


278  A  DAY  SPENT  AT 

After  crossing  this  bridge,  you  come  into  a  green 
court-yard,  filled  with  choice  plants  and  flowering 
shrubs,  and  carpeted  with  that  thick,  soft,  velvet-like 
grass,  which  is  to  be  found  nowhere  else  in  so  perfect 
a  state  as  in  England. 

The  water  is  fed  by  a  perpetual  spring,  whose 
current  is  so  sluggish  as  scarcely  to  be  percepti 
ble,  but  which  yet  has  the  vitality  of  a  running 
stream. 

It  has  a  dark  and  glassy  stillness  of  surface,  only 
broken  by  the  forms  of  the  water  plants,  whose  leaves 
float  thickly  over  it. 

The  walls  of  the  moat  are  green  with  ancient  moss, 
and  from  the  crevices  springs  an  abundant  flowering 
vine,  whose  delicate  leaves  and  bright  yellow  flowers 
in  some  places  entirely  mantled  the  stones  with  their 
graceful  drapery. 

The  picture  I  have  given  you  represents  only  one 
side  of  the  moat.  The  other  side  is  grown  up  with 
dark  and  thick  shrubbery  and  ancient  trees,  rising 
and  embowering  the  whole  place,  adding  to  the  retired 
and  singular  effect  of  the  whole.  The  place  is  a 
specimen  qf  a  sort  of  thing  which  does  not  exist  in 
America.  It  is  one  of  those  significant  landmarks 


PLAYFORD  HALL.  279 

which  unite  the  present  with  the  past,  for  which  we 
must  return  to  the  country  of  our  origin. 

Play  ford  Hall  is  a  thing  peculiarly  English,  and 
Thomas  Clarkson,  for  whose  sake  I  visited  it,  was  as 
peculiarly  an  Englishman, — a  specimen  of  the  very 
best  kind  of  English  mind  and  character,  as  this  is  of 
characteristic  English  architecture. 

We  Anglo-Saxons  have  won  a  hard  name  in  the 
world.  There  are  undoubtedly  bad  things  which  are 
true  about  us. 

Taking  our  developments  as  a  race,  both  in  England 
and  America,  we  may  be  justly  called  the  Komans  of 
the  nineteenth  century.  We  have  been  the  race 
which  has  conquered,  subdued,  and  broken  in  pieces, 
other  weaker  races,  with  little  regard  either  to  justice 
or  mercy.  With  regard  to  benefits  by  us  imparted  to 
conquered  nations,  I  think  a  better  story,  on  the 
whole,  can  be  made  out  for  the  Romans  than  for  us. 
Witness  the  treatment  of  the  Chinese,  of  the  tribes  of 
India,  and  of  our  own  American  Indians. 

But  still  there  is  an  Anglo-Saxon  blood,  a  vigorous 
sense  of  justice,  as  appears  in  our  Habeas  Corpus,  our 
jury  trials,  and  other  features  of  State  organization, 
and,  when  this  is  tempered  in  individuals,  with  the 


280  A  DAT  SPENT  AT 

elements  of  gentleness  and  compassion,  and  enforced 
by  that  energy  and  indomitable  perseverance  which 
are  characteristic  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  mind,  they  form 
a  style  of  philanthropists  peculiarly  efficient.  In 
short,  the  Anglo-Saxon  is  efficient,  in  whatever  he 
sets  himself  about,  whether  in  crushing  the  weak,  or 
lifting  them  up. 

Thomas  Clarkson  was  born  in  a  day  when  good, 
pious  people,  imported  cargoes  of  slaves  from  Africa, 
as  one  of  the  regular  Christianized  modes  of  gaining 
a  subsistence,  and  providing  for  them  and  their  house 
holds.  It  was  a  thing  that  everybody  was  doing,  and 
everybody  thought  they  had  a  right  to  do.  It  was 
supposed  that  all  the  coffee,  tea,  and  sugar  in  the 
world  were  dependent  on  stealing  men,  women,  and 
children,  and  could  be  got  no  other  way ;  and  as  to 
consume  coffee,  sugar,  rice,  and  rum,  were  evidently 
the  chief  ends  of  human  existence,  it  followed  that 
men,  women,  and  children,  must  be  stolen  to  the  end 
of  time. 

Some  good  people,  when  they  now  and  then  heard 
an  appalling  story  of  the  cruelties  practiced  in  the 
slave  ship,  declared  that  it  was  really  too  bad,  sympa 
thetically  remarked,  "What  a  sorrowful  world  we 


PLAYFOEDHALL.  281 

live  in,"  stirred  their  sugar  into  their  tea,  and  went 
on  as  before,  because,  what  was  there  to  do — hadn't 
everybody  always  done  it,  and  if  they  didn't  do  it, 
wouldn't  somebody  else  ? 

It  is  true  that  for  many  years  individuals,  at  differ 
ent  times,  remonstrated,  had  written  treatises,  poems, 
stories,  and  movements  had  been  made  by  some  re 
ligious  ladies,  particularly  the  Quakers,  but  the  opposi 
tion  had  amounted  to  nothing  practically  efficient. 

The  attention  of  Clarkson  was  first  turned  to  the 
subject  by  having  it  given  out  as  the  theme  for  a  prize 
composition  in  his  college  class,  he  being  at  that  time 
a  sprightly  young  man,  about  twenty-four  years  of 
age.  He  entered  into  the  investigation  with  no  other 
purpose  than  to  see  what  he  could  make  of  it  as  a  col 
lege  theme. 

He  says  of  himself:  "  I  had  expected  pleasure  from 
the  invention  of  arguments,  from  the  arrangement  of 
them,  from  the  putting  of  them  together,  and  from 
the  thought,  in  the  interim,  that  I  was  engaged  in  an 
innocent  contest  for  literary  honor,  but  all  my  pleas 
ures  were  damped  by  the  facts,  which  were  now  con 
tinually  before  me. 

"It  was  but  one  gloomy  subject  from  morning  till 


282  A  DAY  SPENT  AT 

night ;  in  the  day  time  I  was  uneasy,  in  the  night  I 
had  little  rest,  I  sometimes  never  closed  my  eyelids 
for  grief." 

It  became  not  now  so  much  a  trial  for  academical 
reputation  as  to  write  a  work  which  should  be  useful 
to  Africa.  It  is  not  surprising  that  a  work,  written 
under  the  force  of  such  feelings,  should  have  gained 
the  prize,  as  it  did.  Clarkson  was  summoned  from 
London  to  Cambridge,  to  deliver  his  prize  essay 
publicly.  He  says  of  himself,  on  returning  back  to 
London:  " The  subject  of  it  almost  wholly  engrossed 
my  thoughts.  I  became  at  times  very  seriously 
affected  while  on  the  road.  I  stopped  my  horse  oc 
casionally,  dismounted,  and  walked. 

"  I  frequently  tried  to  persuade  myself  that  the  con 
tents  of  my  essay  could  not  be  true,  but  the  more 
I  reflected  on  the  authorities  on  which  'they  were 
founded,  the  more  I  gave  them  credit.  Coming  in 
sight  of  Wade's  Mill,  in  Hertfordshire,  I  sat  down  dis 
consolate  on  the  turf  by  the  roadside,  and  held  my 
horse.  Here  a  thought  came  into  my  mind,  that 
if  the  contents  of  the  essay  were  true,  it  was  time 
that  somebody  should  see  these  calamities  to  an 
end." 


PLAYFORD  HALL  283 

These  reflections,  as  it  appears,  were  put  off  for 
awhile,  but  returned  again. 

This  young  and  noble  heart  was  of  a  kind  that  could 
Dot  comfort  itself  so  easily  for  a  brother's  sorrow  as 
many  do. 

He  says  of  himself:  "  In  the  course  of  the  autumn 
of  the  same  year,  I  walked  frequently  into  the  woods 
that  I  might  think  of  the  subject  in  solitude,  and  find 
relief  to  my  mind  there  ;  but  there  the  question  still 
recurred,  '  are  these  things  true  ?'  Still  the  answer 
followed  as  instantaneously,  '  they  are  ;'  still  the  result 
accompanied  it, — surely  some  person  should  interfere. 
I  began  to  envy  those  who  had  seats  in  Parliament, 
riches,  and  widely-extended  connections,  which  would 
enable  them  to  take  up  this  cause. 

"Finding  scarcely  any  one,  at  the  time,  who  thought 
of  it,  I  was  turned  frequently  to  myself,  but  here 
many  difficulties  arose.  It  struck  me,  among  others, 
that  a  young  man  only  twenty -four  years  of  age  could 
not  have  that  solid  judgment,  or  that  knowledge  of 
men,  manners,  and  things,  which  were  requisite  to 
qualify  him  to  undertake  a  task  of  such  magnitude 
and  importance  ;  and  with  whom  was  I  to  unite  ?  I 
"believed,  also,  that  it  looked  so  much  like  one  of  the 


284  A  DAY  SPENT  AT 

feigned  labors  of  Hercules,  that  my  understanding 
would  be  suspected,  if  I  proposed  it."  . 

He  however  resolved  to  do  something  for  the  cause 
b y  translating  his  essay  from  Latin  into  English,  en 
larging  and  presenting  it  to  the  public.  Immedi 
ately  on  the  publication  of  this  essay,  he  discov 
ered  to  his  astonishment  and  delight,  that  he  was 
not  the  only  one  who  had  been  interested  in  this 
subject. 

Being  invited  to  the  house  of  William  Dillwyn, 
one  of  these  friends  to  the  cause,  he  says :  "  How  sur 
prised  was  I  to  learn,  in  the  course  of  our  conversa 
tion,  of  the  labors  of  Granville  Sharp,  of  the  writings 
of  Eamsey,  and  of  the  controversy  in  which  the  latter 
was  engaged,  of  all  which  I  had  hitherto  known  no 
thing.  How  surprised  was  I  to  learn  that  "William  Dill 
wyn  had,  himself,  two  years  before,  associated  himself 
with  five  others  for  the  purpose  of  enlightening  the 
public  mind  on  this  great  subject. 

"How  astonished  was  I  to  find,  that  a  society  had 
been  formed  in  America  for  the  same  object.  These 
thoughts  almost  overpowered  me.  My  mind  was 
overwhelmed  by  the  thought,  that  I  had  been  provi 
dentially  directed  to  this  house ;  the  finger  of  Provi- 


PLAYFORD  HALL.  285 

dence  was  beginning  to  be  discernible,  and  that  the 
day-star  of  African  liberty  was  rising." 

After  this  he  associated  with  many  friends  of  the 
cause,  and  at  last  it  became  evident  that  in  order  to 
effect  anything,  he  must  sacrifice  all  other  .prospects  in 
life,  and  devote  himself  exclusively  to  this  work.'" 

He  says,  after  mentioning  reasons  which  prevented 
all  his  associates  from  doing  this :  "  I  could  look,  there 
fore,  to  no  person  but  myself ;  and  the  question  was, 
whether  I  was  prepared  to  make  the  sacrifice.  In  fa 
vor  of  the  undertaking,  I  urged  to  myself  that  never 
was  any  cause,  which  had  been  taken  up  by  man,  in 
any  country  or  in  any  age,  so  great  and  important ; 
that  never  was  there  one  in  which  so  much  misery  was 
heard  to  cry  for  redress  ;  that  never  was  there  one  in 
which  so  much  good  could  be  done ;  never  one  in 
which  the  duty  of  Christian  charity  could  be  so  ex 
tensively  exercised ;  never  one  more  worthy  of  the 
devotion  of  a  whole  life  towards  it ;  and  that,  if  a 
man  thought  properly,  he  ought  to  rejoice  to  have  been 
called  into  existence,  if  he  were  only  permitted  to  be 
come  an  instrument  in  forwarding  it  in  any  part  of 
its  progress. 

"Against  these  sentiments,  on  the  other  hand,  I  had 


286  A  DAY  SPENT  AT 

to  urge  that  I  had  been  designed  for  the  church  ;  that 
I  had  already  advanced  as  far  as  deacon's  orders  in  it; 
that  my  prospects  there  on  account  of  my  connections 
were  then  brilliant ;  that,  by  appearing  to  desert  my 
profession,  my  family  would  be  dissatisfied,  if  not  un 
happy.  These  thoughts  pressed  upon  me,  and  ren 
dered  the  conflict  difficult. 

"  But  the  sacrifice  of  my  prospects  staggered  me,  I  own, 
the  most.  When  the  other  objections  which  I  have  re 
lated,  occurred  to  me,  my  enthusiasm  instantly,  like  a 
flash  of  lightning,  consumed  them  ;  but  this  stuck  to 
me,  and  troubled  me.  I  had  ambition.  I  had  a  thirst 
after  worldly  interest  and  honors,  and  I  could  not  ex 
tinguish  it  at  once.  I  was  more  than  two  hours  in 
solitude  under  this  painful  conflict.  At  length  I 
yielded,  not  because  I  saw  any  reasonable  prospect  of 
success  in  my  new  undertaking,  for  all  cool-headed 
and  cool-hearted  men  would  have  pronounced  against 
it;  but  in  obedience,  I  believe,  to  a  higher  Power. 
And  I  can  say,  that  both  on  the  moment  of  this  reso 
lution,  and  for  some  time  afterwards,  I  had  more  sub 
lime  and  happy  feelings  than  at  any  former  period  of 
my  life." 

In  order  to   show  how  this  enterprise  was  looked 


PLAYFORD  HALL.  287 

upon  and  talked  of  very  commonly  by  the  majority 
of  men  in  these  times,  we  will  extract  the  following 
passage  from  Boswell's  Life  of  Johnson,  in  which 
Bozzy  thus  enters  his  solemn  protest :  "  The  wild  and 
dangerous  attempt,  which  has  for  some  time  been  per 
sisted  in,  to  obtain  an  act  of  our  Legislature,  to  abolish 
so  very  important  and  necessary  a  branch  of  commer 
cial  interest,  must  have  been  crushed  at  once,  had  not 
the  insignificance  of  the  zealots,  who  vainly  took  the 
lead  in  it,  made  the  vast  body  of  planters,  merchants 
and  others,  whose  immense  properties  are  involved  in 
that  trade,  reasonably  enough  suppose,  that  there 
could  be  no  danger.  The  encouragement  which  the 
attempt  has  received,  excites  my  wonder  and  indig 
nation  ;  and  though  some  men  of  superior  abilities 
have  supported  it,  whether  from  a  love  of  temporary 
popularity,  when  prosperous ;  or  a  love  of  general 
mischief,  when  desperate,  my  opinion  is  unshaken. 

"  To  abolish  a  statute  which  in  all  ages  God  has 
sanctioned,  and  man  has  continued,  would  not  only  be 
robbery  to  an  innumerable  class  of  our  fellow-subjects, 
but  it  would  be  extreme  cruelty  to  the  African  savages, 
a  portion  of  whom  it  saves  from  massacre,  or  intolera 
ble  bondage  in  their  own  country,  and  introduces  into 


288  A  DAY  SPENT  AT 

a  much,  happier  state  of  life ;  especially  now,  when 
their  passage  to  the  West  Indies,  and  their  treatment 
there,  is  humanely  regulated.  To  abolish  this  trade, 
would  be  to 

' shut  the  gates  of  mercy  on  mankind.' " 

One  of  the  first  steps  of  Clarkson  and  his  associates, 
was  the  formation  of  a  committee  of  twelve  persons, 
for  the  collection  and  dissemination  of  evidence  on 
the  subject. 

The  contest  now  began  in  earnest,  a  contest  as  sub 
lime  as  any  the  world  ever  saw. 

The  Abolition  controversy  more  fully  aroused  the 
virtue,  the  talent,  and  the  religion  of  the  great  English 
nation,  than  any  other  event  or  crisis  which  ever  oc 
curred. 

"Wilberforce  was  the  leader  of  the  question  in  Par 
liament.  The  other  members  of  the  Anti-slavery 
Committee  performed  those  labors  which  were  neces 
sary  out  of  it.  • 

This  labor  consisted  principally  in  the  collection  of 
evidence  with  regard  to  the  traffic,  and  the  presenta 
tion  of  it  before  the  public  mind.  In  this  labor 


PLAYFORD  HALL.  289 

Clarkson  was  particularly  engaged.  The  subject  was 
hemmed  in  with  the  same  difficulties  that  now  beset 
the  Anti-slavery  cause  in  America.  Those  who  knew 
most  about  it,  were  precisely  those  whose  interest  it 
was  to  prevent  inquiry.  An  immense  moneyed  inter 
est  was  arrayed  against  investigation,  and  was  deter 
mined  to  suppress  the  agitation  of  the  subject.  Owing 
to  this  powerful  pressure,  many  who  were  in  possess 
ion  of  facts  which  would  bear  upon  this  subject,  re 
fused  to  communicate  them ;  and  often  after  a  long 
and  wearisome  journey  in  search  of  an  individual  who 
could  throw  light  upon  the  subject,  Clarkson  had  the 
mortification  to  find  his  lips  sealed  by  interest  or 
timidity.  As  usual,  the  cause  of  oppression  was  de 
fended  by  the  most  impudent  lying ;  the  slave-trade 
was  asserted  to  be  the  latest  revised  edition  of  philan 
thropy.  It  was  said  that  the  poor  African,  the  slave 
of  miserable  oppression  in  his  own  country,  was 
wafted  by  it  to  an  asylum  in  a  Christian  land  ;  that 
the  middle  passage  was  to  the  poor  negro  a  perfect 
elysium,  infinitely  happier  than  anything  he  had  ever 
known  in  his  own  country.  All  this  was  said  wnile 
manacles,  and  hand-cuffs,  and  thumb-screws,  and  in 
struments  to  force  open  the  mouth,  were  a  regular  part 

13 


290  A  DAY  SPENT  AT 

of  the  stock  for  a  slave  ship,  and  were  hanging  in  the 
shop  windows  of  Liverpool  for  sale. 

For  Clarkson's  attention  was  first  called  to  these 
things  by  observing  them  in  the  shop  window,  and  on 
inquiring  the  use  of  one  of  them,  the  man  informed 
him  that  many  times  negroes  were  sulky  and  tried  to 
starve  themselves  to  death,  and  this  instrument  was 
used  to  force  open  their  jaws. 

Of  Clarkson's  labor  in  this  investigation  some  idea 
may  be  gathered  from  his  own  words,  when  stating 
that  for  a  season  he  was  compelled  to  retire  from  the 
cause,  he  thus  speaks.  "  As  far  as  I  myself  was  con 
cerned,  all  exertion  was  then  over.  The  nervous  sys 
tem  was  almost  shattered  to  pieces.  Both  my  memory 
and  my  hearing  failed  me.  Sudden  dizzinesses  seized 
my  head.  A  confused  singing  in  the  ear  followed  me 
wherever  I  went.  On  going  to  bed  the  very  stairs 
seemed  to  dance  up  and  down  under  me,  so  that,  mis 
placing  my  foot,  I  sometimes  fell.  Talking,  too,  if  it 
continued  but  half  an  hour,  exhausted  me  so  that  pro 
fuse  perspirations  followed,  and  the  same  effect  was 
produced  even  by  an  active  exertion  of  the  mind  for 
the  like  time. 

These  disorders  had  been  brought  on  by  degrees,  in 


PLAYFOBD  HALL.  291 

consequence  of  the  severe  labors  necessarily  attached 
to  the  promotion  of  the  cause.  For  seven  years  I  had 
a  correspondence  to  maintain  with  four  hundred  per 
son  s,  with  my  own  hand  ;  I  had  some  book  or  other 
annually  to  write  in  behalf  of  the  cause.  In  this  time 
I  had  traveled  more  than  thirty-five  thousand  miles  in 
search  of  evidence,  and  a  great  part  of  these  journeys 
in  the  night.  All  this  time  my  mind  had  been  on  the 
stretch.  It  had  been  bent  too  to  this  one  subject,  for 
I  had  not  even  leisure  to  attend  to  my  own  concerns. 
The  various  instances  of  barbarity  which  had  come 
successively  to  my  knowledge  within  this  period,  had 
vexed,  harrassed,  and  afflicted  it.  The  wound  which 
these  had  produced  was  rendered  still  deeper  by  those 
cruel  disappointments  before  related,  which  arose  from 
the  reiterated  refusals  of  persons  to  give  their  testi 
mony,  after  I  had  traveled  hundreds  of  miles  in  quest 
of  them.  But  the  severest  stroke  was  that  inflicted  by 
the  persecution,  begun  and  pursued  by  persons  inter 
ested  in  the  continuance  of  the  trade,  of  such  witness 
es  as  had  been  examined  against  them  ;  and  whom, 
on  account  of  their  dependent  situation  in  life,  it  was 
most  easy  to  oppress.  As  I  had  been  the  means  of 
bringing  these  forward  on  these  occasions,  they  natur- 


292  A  DAY  SPENT  AT 

ally  came  to  me,  when  thus  persecuted,  as  the  author 
of  their  miseries  and  their  ruin.  From  their  suppli 
cations  and  wants  it  would  have  been  ungenerous  and 
ungrateful  to  have  fled.  These  different  circumstanc 
es,  by  acting  together,  had  at  length  brought  me  into 
the  situation  just  mentioned ;  and  I  was  therefore 
obliged,  though  very  reluctantly,  to  be  borne  out  of 
the  field,  where  I  had  placed  the  great  honor  and  glory 
of  my  life." 

I  may  as  well  add  here  that  a  Mr.  Whitbread,  to 
whom  Clarkson  mentioned  this  latter  cause  of  distress, 
generously  offered  to  repair  the  pecuniary  losses  of  all 
who  had  suffered  in  this  cause.  One  anecdote  will  be 
a  specimen  of  the  energy  with  which  Clarkson  pur 
sued  evidence.  It  had  been  very  strenuously  asserted 
and  maintained  that  the  subjects  of  the  slave  trade 
were  only  such  unfortunates  as  had  become  prisoners 
of  war,  and  who,  if  not  carried  out  of  the  country  in 
this  manner,  would  be  exposed  to  death  or  some  more 
dreadful  doom  in  their  own  country.  This  was  one 
of  those  stories  which  nobody  believed,  and  yet  was 
particularly  useful  in  the  hands  of  the  opposition,  be 
cause  it  was  difficult  legally  to  disprove  it.  It  was 
perfectly  well  known  that  in  very  many  cases  slave- 


PLAYFORD  HALL.  293 

traders  made  direct  incursions  into  the  country,  kid 
napped,  and  carried  off  the  inhabitants  of  whole  vil 
lages,  but  the  question  was,  how  to  establish  it  ?  A 
gentleman  whom  Clarkson  accidentally  met  on  one  of 
his  journeys,  informed  him  that  he  had  been  in  com 
pany,  about  a  year  before,  with  a  sailor,  a  very  re 
spectable  looking  young  man,  who  had  actually  been 
engaged  in  one  of  these  expeditions ;  he  had  spent 
half  an  hour  with  him  at  an  inn  ;  he  described  his  per 
son,  but  knew  nothing  of  his  name  or  the  place  of  his 
abode,  all  he  knew  was  that  he  belonged  to  a  ship  of 
war  in  ordinary,  but  knew  nothing  of  the  port.  Clark- 
son  determined  that  this  man  should  be  produced  as  a 
witness,  and  knew  no  better  way  than  to  go  personally 
to  all  the  ships  in  ordinary,  until  the  individual  was 
found.  He  actually  visited  every  sea-port  town,  and 
boarded  every  ship,  till  in  the  very  last  port  and  on 
the  very  last  ship  which  remained,  the  individual  was 
found,  and  found  to  be  possessed  of  just  the  facts  and 
information  which  were  necessary.  By  the  labors  of 
Clarkson  and  his  cotemporaries  an  incredible  excite 
ment  was  produced  throughout  all  England.  The 
pictures  and  models  of  slave  ships,  accounts  of  the 
cruelties  practised  in  the  trade,  were  circulated  with 


294  A  DAY  SPENT  AT 

an  industry  which  left  not  a  man,  woman,  or  child  in 
England  uninstructed.  In  disseminating  information, 
and  in  awakening  feeling  and  conscience,  the  women 
of  England  were  particularly  earnest,  and  labored 
with  that  whole-hearted  devotion  which  characterizes 
the  sex. 

It  seems  that  after  the  committee  had  published  the 
facts,  and  sent  them  to  every  town  in  England,  Clark- 
son  followed  them  up  by  journeying  to  all  the  places, 
to  see  that  they  were  read  and  attended  to.  Of  the 
state. of  feeling  at  this  time,  Clarkson  gives  the  follow 
ing  account : 

"  And  first  I  may  observe,  that  there  was  no  town 
through  which  I  passed,  in  which  there  was  not  some 
one  individual  who  had  left  off  the  use  of  sugar.  In 
the  smaller  towns  there  were  from  ten  to  fifty,  by  esti 
mation,  and  in  the  larger,  from  two  to  five  hundred, 
who  made  this  sacrifice  to  virtue.  These  were  of  all 
ranks  and  parties.  Eich  and  poor,  churchmen  and 
dissenters  had  adopted  the  measure.  Even  grocers 
had  left  off  trading  in  the  article  in  some  places.  In 
gentlemen's  families,  where  the  master  had  set  the  ex 
ample,  the  servants  had  often  voluntarily  followed  it ; 
and  even  children,  who  were  capable  of  understanding 


PLAYFORD  HALL.  295 

the  history  of  the  sufferings  of  the  Africans,  excluded 
with  the  most  virtuous  resolution  the  sweets,  to  which 
they  had  been  accustomed,  from  their  lips.  By  the 
best  computation  I  was  able  to  make,  from  notes  taken 
down  in  my  journey,  no  fewer  than  three  hundred 
thousand  persons  had  abandoned  the  use  of  sugar." 
It  was  the  reality,  depth,  and  earnestness  of  the  public 
feeling,  thus  aroused,  which  pressed  with  resistless 
force  upon  the  government :  for  the  government  of 
England  yields  to  popular  demands,  quite  as  readily 
as  that  of  Amei  ioa. 

After  years  of  protracted  struggle,  the  victory  was 
at  last  won.  The  slave-trade  was  finally  abolished 
through  all  the  British  empire ;  and  not  only  so,  but 
the  English  nation  committed,  with  the  whole  force 
of  its  national  influence,  to  seek  the  abolition  of  the 
slave-trade  in  all  the  nations  of  the  earth.  But  the 
wave  of  feeling  did  not  rest  there ;  the  investigations 
had  brought  before  the  English  conscience  the  horrors 
and  abominations  of  slavery  itself,  and  the  agitation 
never  ceased  till  slavery  was  finally  abolished  through 
all  the  British  provinces.  At  this  time  the  religious 
mind  and  conscience  of  England  gained,  through  this 
very  struggle,  a  power  which  it  never  has  lost.  The 


296  A  DAY  SPENT  AT 

principle  adopted  by  them  was  the  same  so  sublimely 
adopted  by  the  church  in  America,  in  reference  to  the 
Foreign  Missionary  cause  :  "  The  field  is  the  world." 
They  saw  and  felt  that  as  the  example  and  practice 
of  England  had  been  powerful  in  giving  sanction  to 
this  evil,  and  particularly  in  introducing  it  into 
America,  that  there  was  the  greatest  reason  why  she 
should  never  intermit  her  efforts  till  the  wrong  was 
righted  throughout  the  earth. 

Clarkson  to  his  last  day  never  ceased  to  be  interested 
in  the  subject,  and  took  the  warmest  interest  in  all 
movements  for  the  abolition  of  slavery  in  America. 

One  of  his  friends,  during  my  visit  at  this  place, 
read  me  a  manuscript  letter  from  him,  written  at  a 
very  advanced  age,  in  which  he  speaks  with  the  utmost 
ardor  and  enthusiasm  of  the  first  anti-slavery  move 
ments  of  Cassius  Clay  in  Kentucky.  The  same  friend 
described  him  to  me  as  a  cheerful,  companionable 
being, — frank  and  simple-hearted,  and  with  a  good 
deal  of  quiet  humor. 

It  is  remarkable  of  him  that  with  such  intense  feel 
ing  for  human  suffering  as  he  had,  and  worn  down 
and  exhausted  as  he  was,  by  the  dreadful  miseries  and 
sorrows  with  which  he  was  constantly  obliged  to  be 


PLAYFORD  HALL.  297 

familiar,  lie  never  yielded  to  a  spirit  of  bitterness  or 
denunciation. 

The  narrative  which  he  gives  is  as  calm  and  unim- 
passioned,  and  as  free  from  any  trait  of  this  kind,  as 
the  narrative  of  the  evangelist. 

I  have  given  this  sketch  of  what  Clarkson  did,  that 
you  may  better  appreciate  the  feelings  with  which  I 
visited  the  place. 

The  old  stone  house,  the  moat,  the  draw-bridge,  all 
spoke  of  days  of  violence  long  gone  by,  when  no  man 
was  safe  except  within  fortified  walls,  and  every  man's 
house  literally  had  to  be  his  castle. 

To  me  it  was  interesting  as  the  dwelling  of  a  con 
queror,  as  one  who  had  not  wrestled  with  flesh  and 
blood  merely,  but  with  principalities  and  powers,  and 
the  rulers  of  the  darkness  of  this  world,  and  who  had 
overcome,  as  his  great  Master  did  before  him,  by 
faith,  and  prayer,  and  labor. 

We  were  received  with  much  cordiality  by  the 
widow  of  Clarkson,  now  in  her  eighty-fourth  year. 
She  has  been  a  woman  of  great  energy  and  vigor,  and 
an  efficient  co-laborer  in  his  plans  of  benevolence. 

She  is  now  quite  feeble.     I  was  placed  under  the 

care  of  a  respectable  female  servant,  who  forthwith 

13* 


298  A  DAY  SPENT  AT 

installed  me  in  a  large  chamber  overlooking  the 
court-yard,  which  had  been  Clarkson's  own  room ; 
the  room  where  for  years,  many  of  his  most  important 
labors  had  been  conducted,  and  from  whence  his  soul 
had  ascended  to  the  reward  of  the  just. 

/The  servant  who  attended  me  seemed  to  be  quite  a 
superior  woman  ;  like  many  of  the  servants  in  respec 
table  English  families.  She  had  grown  up  in  the 
family,  and  was  identified  with  it ;  its  ruling  aims  and 
purposes  had  become  hers.  She  had  been  the  per 
sonal  attendant  of  Clarkson,  and  his  nurse  during  his 
last  sickness ;  she  had  evidently  understood,  and  been 
interested  in  his  plans,  and  the  veneration  with  which 
she  therefore  spoke  of  him,  had  the  sanction  of  intel 
ligent  appreciation. 

A  daughter  of  Clarkson;  who  was  married  to  a  neigh 
boring  clergyman,  with  her  husband,  was  also  present 
on  this  day. 

After  dinner  we  rode  out  to  see  the  old  church,  in 
whose  enclosure  the  remains  of  Clarkson  repose.  It 
was  just  such  a  still,  quiet,  mossy  old  church,  as  you 
have  read  of  in  story-books,  with  the  grave-yard 
spread  all  around  it,  like  a  thoughtful  mother,  who 
watches  the  resting  of  her  children. 


PLAYFORD  HALL.  299 

The  grass  in  the  yard  was  long  and  green,  and  the 
daisy,  which  in  other  places  lies  like  a  little  button  on 
the  ground,  here  had  a  richer  fringe  of  crimson,  and 
a  stalk  about  six  inches  high.  It  is,  I  well  know,  the 
vital  influence  from  the  slumbering  dust  beneath, 
which  gives  the  richness  to  this  grass  and  these  flow 
ers;  but  let  not  that  be  a  painful  thought;  let  it 
rather  cheer  us,  that  beauty  should  spring  from  ashes, 
and  life  smile  brighter  from  the  near  presence  of 
death.  The  grave  of  Clarkson  was  near  the  church, 
enclosed  by  a  railing  and  marked  by  a  simple  white 
marble  slab ;  it  was  carefully  tended  and  planted  with 
flowers.  In  the  church  was  an  old  book  of  records, 
and  among  other  curious  inscriptions,  was  one  record 
ing  how  a  pious  committee  of  old  Noll's  army  had 
been  there,  knocking  off  saints'  noses,  and  otherwise 
purging  the  church  from  the  relics  of  idolatry. 

Near  by  the  church  was  the  parsonage,  the  home 
of  my  friends,  a  neat,  pleasant,  sequestered  dwelling, 
of  about  the  style  of  a  New  England  country  par 
sonage. 

The  effect  of  the  whole  together  was  inexpressibly 
beautiful  to  me.  For  a  wonder,  it  was  a  pleasant  day, 
and  this  is  a  thing  always  to  be  thankfully  acknowl- 


300  A  DAY  SPENT  AT 

edged  in  England.  The  calm  stillness  of  the  after 
noon,  the  seclusion  of  the  whole  place,  the  silence 
only  broken  by  the  cawing  of  the  rooks,  the  ancient 
church,  the  mossy  graves  with  their  flowers  and  green 
grass,  the  sunshine  and  the  tree  shadows,  all  seemed 
to  mingle  together  in  a  kind  of  hazy  dream  of  peace- 
fulness  and  rest.  •  How  natural  it  is  to  say  of  some 
place  sheltered,  simple,  cool,  and  retired,  here  one 
might  find  peace,  as  if  peace  came  from  without,  and 
not  from  within.  In  the  shadiest  and  stillest  places 
may  be  the  most  turbulent  hearts,  and  there  are  hearts 
which,  through  the  busiest  scenes,  carry  with  them 
unchanging  peace.  •  As  we  were  walking  back,  we 
passed  many  cottages  of  the  poor. 

I  noticed,  with  particular  pleasure,  the  invariable 
flower  garden  attached  to  each.  Some  pansies  in  one 
of  them  attracted  my  attention  by  their  peculiar 
beauty,  so  very  large  and  richly  colored.  On  being 
introduced  to  the  owner  of  them,  she,  with  cheerful 
alacrity,  offered  me  some  of  the  finest.  I  do  not 
doubt  of  there  being  suffering  and  misery  in  the  agri 
cultural  population  of  England,  but  still  there  are 
multitudes  of  cottages,  which  are  really  very  pleasant 
objects,  as  were  all  these.  The  cottagers  had  that 


PLAYFORD  HALL.  801 

bright,  rosy  look  of  health,  which  we  seldom  see  in 
America,  and  appeared  to  be  both  polite  and  self- 
respecting. 

In  the  evening  we  had  quite  a  gathering  of  friends 
from  the  neighborhood — intelligent,  sensible,  earnest, 
people — who  had  grown  up  in  the  love  of  the  anti- 
slavery  cause  as  into  religion.  The  subject  of  conver 
sation  was :  "  The  duty  of  English  people  to  free 
themselves  from  any  participation  in  American  slavery, 
by  taking  means  to  encourage  the  production  of  free 
cotton  in  the  British  provinces." 

It  is  no  more  impossible  or  improbable  that  some 
thing  effective  may  be  done  in  this  way,  than  that  the 
slave-trade  should  have  been  abolished.  Every  great 
movement  seems  an  impossibility  at  first.  There  is  no 
end  to  the  number  of  things  declared  and  proved  im 
possible,  which  have  been  done  already,  so  that  this 
may  do  something  yet. 

Mrs.  Clarkson  had  retired  from  the  room  early ; 
after  a  while  she  sent  for  me  to  her  sitting-room.  The 
faithful  attendant  of  whom  I  spoke  was  with  her. 
She  wished  to  show  me  some  relics  of  her  husband, 
his  watch  and  seals,  some  of  his  papers  and  manu 
scripts  ;  among  these  was  the  identical  prize  essay 


802  A  DAY  SPENT  AT 

with  which  he  began  his  career,  and  a  commentary  on 
the  Gospels,  which  he  had  written  with  great  care,  for 
the  use  of  his  grandson.  His  seal  attracted  my  atten 
tion — it  was  that  kneeling  figure,  of  the  negro,  with 
clasped  hands,  which  was  at  first  adopted  as  the  "badge 
of  the  cause,  when  every  means  was  being  made  use 
of  to  arouse  the  public  mind  and  keep  the  subject  be 
fore  the  attention.  Mr.  Wedge  wood,  the  celebrated 
procelain  manufacturer,  designed  a  cameo,  with  this 
representation,  which  was  much  worn  as  an  ornament 
by  ladies.  It  was  engraved  on  the  seal  of  the  Anti- 
Slavery  Society,  and  was  used  by  its  members  in  seal 
ing  all  their  letters.  This  of  Clarkson's  was  hand 
somely  engraved  on  a  large,  old-fashioned  cornelian, 
and  surely  if  we  look  with  emotion  on  the  sword  of  a 
departed  hero,  which,  at  best,  we  can  consider  only 
as  a  necessary  evil,  we  may  look  with  unmingled 
pleasure  on  this  memorial  of  a  bloodless  victory. 

When  I  retired  to  my  room  for  the  night  I  could 
not  but  feel  that  the  place  was  hallowed — unceasing 
prayer  had  there  been  offered  for  the  enslaved  and 
wronged  race  of  Africa  by  that  noble  and  brotherly 
heart.  I  could  not  but  feel  that  that  those  prayers 
had  had  a  wider  reach  than  the  mere  extinction  of 


PLAYFORD  HALL. 


303 


slavery  in  one  land  or  country,  and  that  their  benign 
influence  would  not  cease  till  not  a  slave  was  left  upon 
the  face  of  the  earth. 


Cmcfwtg  \\t  jllafce  to 


has  been  discussed  and  written,  both,  at  the 
North  and  South,  concerning  the  policy  and  pro 
priety  of  permitting  those  in  bondage  to  gain  the 
rudiments  of  a  common  education. 

Many  who  conscientiously  (for  having  lived  among 
them,  I  do  believe  that  there  are  "  conscientious  " 
slave-owners)  hold  their  laborers  in  servitude,  believe 
that  the  experiment  might  be  successfully  tried.  In 
deed,  it  is  often  tried  on  plantations,  even  in  States 
where  the  law  enforces  strict  penalties  against  it. 
They  believe  that  the  slaves,  if  permitted  to  learn  to 
];\-  id,  -would  be  more  moral,  faithful  and  obedient  ;  and 
they  cannot  reconcile  it  with  their  sense  of  duty  to 
keep  from  them  the  perusal  of  the  Bible. 

The  majority,  however,  think  differently;  and  the 
majority  will  always  make  the  laws.  They  believe 


TEACHING  THE.  SLAVE  TO  READ.      305 

that  there  is  a  talismanic  power  in  even  the  alphabet 
of  knowledge,  to  arouse  in  the  bondsman  powers 
which  they  would  crush  for  ever.  They  believe  that 
one  truth  leads  on  to  another,  and  that  the  mind,  once 
aroused  to  inquiry,  will  never  rest  until  it  has  found 
out  its  native  independence  of  man's  dominion.  They 
point  triumphantly,  in  proof  of  the  policy  of  their 
system,  to  the  "  spoiled  slave,"  as  they  term  many  of 
those  in  whose  training  the  opposite  course  has  been 
pursued.  More  trouble,  vexation,  and  insubordination, 
they  confidently  allege,  has  been  caused  by  permitting 
slaves  to  learn  to  read,  than  by  any  other  indulgence. 
It  may  be  so  ;  it  is  certain  that,  in  many  instances, 
masters  have  failed  to  win  the  gratitude  to  which  they 
thought  themselves  justly  entitled,  for  their  kindness 
and  care.  They  have  found  their  servants  growing 
discontented  and  idle,  where  they  hoped  to  make  them 
docile  and  happy.  Searching  for  the  cause  of  this, 
they  perhaps  turn  upon  the  course  of  training  they 
have  followed,  and  accuse  it  of  being  opposed  to  the 
best  interests  of  the  slave.  Could  such  reasoners  but 
look  upon  the  matter  iii  its  true  perspective,  they 
would  cease  to  wonder  that  "good"  should,  in  their 
view,  "  work  out  evil."  Learning  and  Slavery  can 


306   TEACHING  THE  SLAVE  TO  BEAD. 

never  compromise  ;  they  are  as  the  antagonistic  poles 
of  the  magnet. 

In  the  first  place,  Slavery  blunts  the  mind,  and  ren 
ders  it,  in  its  early  years,  unsusceptible  to  those  im 
pressions  which  are  generally  so  lasting,  when  made 
upon  youthful  minds.  Many  who  have  tried  to  edu 
cate  colored  children,  have  been  led  to  accuse  the  race 
of  natural  inferiority  in  its  capacity  to  gain  knowledge, 
We  have  no  right  to  draw  that  inference  from  the  few 
attempts  which  have  been  made  on  a  part  of  the  race 
whose  mental  faculties  have,  through  many  genera 
tions,  been  crippled  by  disuse. 

I  had  once  under  my  charge,  for  a  short  timer 
a  negro  girl,  born  in  Africa— "  Margru "  of  the 
"  Armistad,"  with  whose  history  most  are  familiar.  On 
her  ancestory  hung  no  clog  of  depression,  except  that 
of  native  wildness.  There  was  no  lack  of  aptitude 
to  learn  in  her  case.  She  astonished  all  by  the  ease 
with  which  she  acquired  knowledge,  particularly  in 
mathematical  science.  That  a  native  heathen  should 
be  a  better  recipient  of  knowledge  than  one  brought 
up  in  the  midst  of  American  civilization,  speaks  well 
for  "the  race,"  but  ill  for  "the  system,'7  which  has 
trained  the  latter. 


TEACHING  THE  SLAVE  TO  BEAD.   807 

Not  only  is  this  native  dulness  to  be  overcome,  but 
time  for  study  is  to  be  found — time  enough  for  the 
faculties  to  unbend  from  the  pressure  of  labor,  and 
fix  themselves  upon  the  mental  task.  This  is  what 
few  employers  consider  themselves  able  to  afford. 
Once  a  week,  in  their  opinion,  is  quite  often  enough 
for  the  slave  to  repeat  his  lesson ;  and  through  the 
week  he  may  forget  it.  No  wonder  that  both  the  in 
dulgent  master  and  the  teacher — yes,  and  the  learner, 
too,  often  become  discouraged,  and  give  up  the  task 
before  the  Word  of  God  is  unlocked  to  "  the  poor," 
for  whom  it  was  expressly  written  I 

I  speak  as  one  who  has  felt  these  obstacles,  having, 
with  the  approval  of  one  of  the  class  to  whom  I  have 
alluded,  taken  charge  of  a  Sunday  school  among  his 
servants.  More  attentive  and  grateful  pupils  I  never 
had,  but  it  has  pained  my  heart  to  feel  the  difficulty 
of  leading  them  even  to  the  threshold  of  knowledge ; 
and  there  leaveing  them! 

In  an  adjoining  household,  however,  it  was  still 
worse.  George,  a  light-colored  "  boy"  of  twenty -five, 
the  "  factotum "  of  his  mistress,  was  the  husband  of 
our  cook,  Letty.  I  had  succeeded  in  taking  Letty 


308      TEACHING  THE  SLAVE  TO  KEAD. 

through  several  chapters  in  the  New  Testament,  and 
this  had  aroused  the  ambition  of  George. 

"  What  do  you  think  ?"  exclaimed  one  of  the 

family  to  me,  one  morning;  "Mrs.  has  been 

whipping  George  I" 

"  Why !  for  what  could  that  have  been  ?  I  thought 
he  was  a  favorite  servant  I" 

"  For  taking  lessons  of  Letty  in  the  spelling-book  ln 

It  was  even  so.  The  poor  fellow  wanted  to  learn  to 
stammer  in  his  Testament,  and  Letty,  like  any  true- 
hearted  wife,  had  given  him  the  little  assistance  she 
could  render.  The  whipping  failed  of  its  intended 
effect,  however.  Going  one  evening,  at  a  late  hour, 
into  Letty's  cabin,  I  found  George  seated  by  her  on 
the  floor,  in  the  corner  of  their  mud  fire-place,  poring 
intently  over  the  forbidden  spelling-book !  He  started 
up  confused,  but  seeing  who  it  was,  he  was  reassured, 
and  went  on  with  his  lesson !  Whether  George, 
Letty,  or  any  of  those  who  have  gained  the  rudiments 
of  science,  will  be  more  happy  in  their  servitude,  is  to 
me  exceedingly  doubtful.  Thus  far  the  severer  classes 
of  masters  have  the  right ;  a  slave,  to  be  perfectly 
contented  as  a  slave,  must  be  in  total  ignorance.  But 
better,  far  better,  greater  suffering,  if  it  bring  enlarge- 


TEACHING  THE  SLAVE  TO  BEAD.   309 

ment  of  man's  higher  being,  than  that  system  that 
would  smother  the  soul  in  its  bodily  case.  Let  the 
slave  have  the  key  to  the  gate  of  Life  Eternal,  even 
if  his  pathway  through  this  life  must  be  more  thickly 
sown  with  thorns.  Let  the  opposing  principles  wage, 
until  the  right  of  one  is  asserted.  And,  oh  !  above  all 
pray  for  the  day  when  these  fetters  shall  be  stricken 
from  the  souls  God  has  created,  wherewith  to  people, 
we  firmly  trust,  no  mean  "tabernacle"  of  His  New 
Jerusalem  ! 


' 


THJBODAJX,  Kov.  25,  1853. 


FUN-  JOTTINGS  ; 

OR, 

LAUGHS  I  HAVE  TAKEN  A  PEN  TO! 


U  G>«  OTQJU1S 
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Extracts  from  Notices  of  the  Press. 

"  From  the  title  of  the  volume  one  would  suppose  that  it 
was  made  up  exclusively  of  funny  anecdotes  and  amusing  sto 
ries.  Such,  however,  is  not  the  fact.  Many  incidents  narrated 
in  the  book,  will  be  read  with  other  feelings  than  those  inspired 
by  the  perusal  of  laughable  anecdotes.  But  they,  as  well  as  the 
reed  i  Fun-  Jottings,'  will  be  perused  with  interest.  The  work 
is  written  in  Willis'  peculiar  and  happy  style.  It  will  unques 
tionably  meet  with  a  wide  sale.  It  is  printed  in  the  best  style 
of  the  art,  and  handsomely  bound."  —  Auburn  Daily  Adv. 

u  Some  twenty  choice  love  stories,  all  ending  in  fun.  and 
redolent  with  mirth,  are  related  with  humor  and  sentiment, 
which  are  decidedly  captivating."  —  Syracvse  Journal. 

<;  These  Fun  Jottings  '  embrace  the  best  of  "Willis*  livelier 
efforts.  *  *  *  The  most  clever,  graphic,  and  entertaining 
sketches  ever  produced  in  this  country."  —  Boston  Post. 


2  EXTRACTS  FROM  NOTICES  OF  THE  PRESS. 

"  It  is  a  good  book,  and  will  be  read  by  thousands." — Chi 
cago  Journal. 

u  Some  of  Mr.  Willis'  happiest  hits  and  most  graceful  spec 
imens  of  compositions  are  here  included." — N.  Y.  Evangelist. 

"Fresh,  lively,  gay,  and  gossipping,  these  'Fun  Jottings* 
deservedly  merit  the  enduring  garb  in  which  they  appear," — 
Home  Gazette. 

"  One  of  Willis'  pleasant  books,  in  which  the  reader  is  al 
ways  sure  to  find  entertainment." — Philadelphia  Mirror. 

<;  The  contents  are  better  than  the  title."— A7".  Y.  Tribune. 

11  A  volume  of  light  sketches,  written  in  Mr.  Willis'  most 
amusing  style,  and  will  be  read  by  everybody." — Detroit  Ad- 
vet  User. 

"  It  contains  the  best  specimen  of  the  prose  writings  of  Mr. 
Willis." — Montgomery  Gazette. 

"  The  book  is  entertaining  and  spicy — just  the  kind  of  read 
ing  to  keep  one  '  wide  awake  '  during  the  long  nights  that  are 
DOW  approaching." — Phil.  News. 

lk  For  laughter  without  folly,  for  a  specific  in  innocent  mirth- 
fulness  against  ennui  find,  hypo — as  a  cordial  to  the  animal  spir 
its  when  drooping  with  care  or  flagging  with  excess  of  labor — 
this  volume  of  '  Fun- Jottings '  bears  the  palm." — N.  Y.  Inde 
pendent. 

"  It  is  funny  and  fascinating — a  collection  of  Willis'  dashing 
sketches — half  comic,  half  pathetic." — Cincinnati  Herald. 

"  Mr.  Willis'  reputation  as  a  story  writer,  has  long  been 
well  established,  and  lovers  of  this  kmd  of  reading  will  find  a 
rich  entertainment  in  this  volume." — Hartford  Times. 


THE  FAEM  AND  THE  FIRESIDE; 

OE, 

THE  ROMANCE  OF  AGRICULTURE, 


HALF  HOUKS  OF  LIFE  IN  THE  COUNTRY,  FOR  RAINY 
DAYS  AND  WINTER  EVENINGS. 


BY  KEY.  JOHN  L.  BLAKE,  D.D. 

AUTHOE  OF  FARMER'S  EVERY-DAY  BOOK;  THE  FARMER  AT  HOME;  AND  A 
GENERAL  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY. 


COMMENDATIONS  OF  THE  PERIODICAL  PRESS, 

From  the  Ohio  Fanner. 

DR.  BLAKE  is  justly  regarded  as  one  of  the  best  agricultural  -writers 
in  the  country,  and  the  work  before  us  is  one  of  the  most  interesting 
productions  of  his  pen.  Its  peculiar  merit,  as  a  work  for  the  fireside, 
consists  in  the  variety  of  its  topics,  its  plain  and  simple,  yet  attractive 
style,  its  fine  engravings,  and  the  interesting  romance  which  the  author 
has  thrown  around  Rural  and  Agricultural  Life.  In  this  respect,  "  The 
Farm  and  the  Fireside  "  is  a  work  well  adapted  to  the  youthful  mind. 
We  hope  it  may  be  extensively  read,  as  it  cannot  fail  to  improve  the 
taste  and  promote  inquiry  in  the  most  useful  and  practical  of  all  de 
partments  of  science. 

From  the  New- York  Evangelist 

The  aim  of  the  author  has  been  to  throw  over  labor,  home  and  agri 
cultural  life,  their  true  dignity  and  charm  ;  to  introduce  the  farmer  to 
the  delights  and  privileges  of  his  lot;  to  embellish  the  cares  of  toil 
with  those  kindly  sentiments  so  naturally  associated  with  the  country 
tnd  its  employments.  It  is  a  pleasant  book — one  that  will  enliven  the 


2  COMMENDATIONS  OF  THE   PEESS. 

fireside,  elevate  and  purify  the  thoughts,  and,  at  the  same  time,  impart 
a  great  deal  of  valuable  agricultural  knowledge.  We  know  not  how 
the  natural  trains  of  thought  of  the  farmer  could  be  more  aptly  met 
or  more  safely  and  agreeably  led,  than  they  are  by  these  brief  an* 
varied  discussions.  The  range  is  as  wide  as  life  itself — morals,  religion 
ousiness,  recreation,  education,  home,  wife  and  daughters — everj  reli 
tion  and  duty  is  touched  upon,  genially  and  instinctively. 


From  the  New-York  Tribune. 

"We  have  here  another  highly  instructive  and  entertaining  volume 
from  an  author,  who  had  laid  the  community  under  large  obligations  by 
the  enterprise  and  tact  with  which  he  has  so  frequently  catered  to  the 
popular  taste  for  descriptions  of  rural  life.  Its  contents  are  of  a  very 
miscellaneous  character,  embracing  sketches  of  natural  history,  accounts 
of  successful  farming  operations,  anecdotes  of  distinguished  characters, 
singular  personal  reminiscences,  pithy  moral  reflections,  and  numerous 
picturesof  household  life  in  the  country.  No  family  can  add  this  vo 
lume  to  their  collection  of  books  without  increasing  their  sources  ot 
pleasure  and  profit. 


From  the  Northern  Christian  Advocate. 

The  venerable  author  of  this  work  is  entitled  to  the  warmest  thanks 
of  the  public  for  his  numerous  and  valuable  contributions  to  our  litera 
ture.  He  is  truly  an  American  classic.  We  have  been  conversant 
with  his  writings  for  the  last  twenty  years,  and  have  always  found 
them  both  useful  and  entertaining  in  a  high  degree.  His  writings  on 
Agriculture-contain  much  real  science,  with  numerous  illustrative  inci 
dents,  anecdotes,  and  aphorisms,  all  in  the  most  lively  and  pleasing 
manner.  By  this  means  the  dry  details  of  farming  business  are  made 
to  possess  all  the  interest  of  romance.  The  style  is  clear,  easy,  ana 
dignified ;  the  matter  instructive,  philosophical,  and  persuasive.  This 
work  is  an  eloquent  plea  for  the  noble  and  independent  pursuit  01 
Agriculture. 

From  the  National  Magazine. 

We  return  our  thanks  for  the  new  volume  of  Dr.  Blake,  "  The  Farm 
and  the  Fireside,  or  the  Romance  of  Agriculture,  being  Half  Hours  and 


COMMENDATIONS  OF  THE   PRESS.  8 

Sketches  of  Life  in  the  Country,"  a  charming  title,  certainly,  and  one 
that  smacks  of  the  man  as  well  as  of  the  country.  Eschewing  the 
dryness  of  scientific  forms  and  erudite  details,  the  author  presents  de 
tached,  but  most  entertaining,  and  often  very  suggestive  articles  on  a 
great  variety  of  topics — from  the  "  "Wild  Goose  "  to  "  Conscience  in  the 
Cow," — from  the  "  Value  of  Lawyers  in  a  Community  "  to  the  "  Objec 
tions  to  early  Marriages."  The  book  is,  in  fine,  quite  unique,  and  just 
.such  a  one  as  the  farmer  would  like  to  pore  over  at  his  fireside  on  long 
winter  evenings. 

From  the  New- York  Kecorder. 

"The  Farm  and  the  Fireside,"  is  a  most  interesting  and  valuable 
work,  being  a  series  of  Sketches  relating  to  Agriculture  and  the  nu 
merous  kindred  arts  and  sciences,  interspersed  with  miscellaneous  moral 
instruction,  adapted  to  the  life  of  Hie  farmer. 


From  the  Gennantown  Telegraph. 

"We  have  looked  through  this  work  and  read  some  of  the  "  Sketches," 
and  feel  a  degree  of  satisfaction  in  saying  that  it  possesses  decided 
merit,  and  will  commend  itself,  wherever  known,  as  a  volume  of  much 
social  interest  and  entertainment  The  sketches  comprise  "  Country 
Life  "  generally — some  of  them  are  just  sufficiently  touched  with  ro 
mance  to  give  them  additional  zest ;  while  others  are  purely  practical, 
and  relate  to  the  farmer's  pursuit  We  regard  it  as  a  valuable  book, 
and  are  sorry  our  limits  will  not  admit  of  bestowing  upon  it  such  a 
notice  as  it  really  deserves. 

From  Harper's  New  Monthly  Magazine. 

This  work  is  a  collection  of  miscellaneous  sketches  on  the  Romance 
of  Agriculture  and  Rural  Life.  Matters  of  fact,  however,  are  not  ex 
cluded  from  the  volume,  which  is  well  adapted  for  reading  in  the 
snatches  of  leisure  enjoyed  at  the  farmer's  fireside. 


From  the  True  Democrat. 

Dr.  Blake's  publications  are  all  of  a  high  order,  and  are  doing  a  most 
important  work  towards  refining  the  taste,  improving  the  intellect,  and 


4  COMMENDATIONS  OF  THE   PRESS. 

rendering  attractive  the  various  branches  of  Agricultural  science.  In 
deed  we  know  no  author  who  has  so  successfully  blended  the  roman 
tic,  the  rural  and  beautiful  with  the  poetical,  the  useful,  and  true, 
as  has  Dr.  Blake.  This  is  a  peculiar  feature  of  all  his  works.  His 
style  is  plain,  simple,  and  perspicuous;  and,  with  unusual  tact  and 
judgment,  he  so  manages  to  insinuate  himself  upon  you,  that  you  are 
at  once  amused,  delighted,  and  instructed  with  the  subject  he  is  dis 
cussing.  In  this  respect  he  relieves  the  study  of  agricultural  science' 
from  the  abstruseness  of  technical  science,  and  thus  renders  himsell 
easily  comprehended  by  all  classes  of  readers. 


From  the  New-York  Evening  Post. 

The  author's  object  is  to  improve  the  soil  through  the  mind — not  BO 
much  to  place -in  the  hands  of  farmers  the  best  methods  of  raising 
large  crops — for  these  he  refers  them  to  Leibig's  Agricultural  Chem 
istry,  and  to  treatises  of  the  like  description — but  to  make  them  fee* 
how  useful,  agreeable,  and  ennobling,  is  the  profession  of  agriculture, 
and,  above  all,  how  profitable  the  business  must  become  when  skilfully 
and  economically  carried  on.  These  money-making  considerations  are, 
we  suspect,  the  best  moral  guano  that  can  be  applied  to  the  farmer's 
spiritual  soil.  The  author  writes  well  of  the  countryman's  independ 
ence,  the  good  effect  of  fresh  salubrious  air  upon  his  health,  and  the 
moral  influence  of  his  every-day  intimacy  with  nature  upon  his  mind. 

"  The  Farm  and  the  Fireside  "  is  a  kind  of  Bucolical  annual — to  be 
read  in  seasons  of  leisure — intended  for  the  Phyllises  and  Chloes,  as 
well  as  for  the  Strephons  and  Lindors.  Dr.  Blake  has  enriched  it  with 
curious  anecdotes  of  domestic  animals,  and  of  the  best  way  of  raising 
and  selling  them.  He  describes  model-farms,  and  the  large  incomes 
made  from  them.  He  expatiates  on  the  advantages  of  matrimony  in 
rural  life,  expounds  the  true  theory  of  choosing  a  helpmate,  discusses 
the  advantages  of  Sunday-Schools,  and  recommends  neatness  of  attire 
and  punctuality  in  bathing.  In  short,  this  volume  is  as  diversified  in 
its  aspect  as  the  small  garden  of  a  judicious  cultivator,  where,  in  a 
limited  space,  useful  cabbages,  potatoes,  and  all  the  solid  esculent 
greens,  grow  side  by  side  with  choice  fruits  and  pleasant  flowers. 


IM  M  ENSE    SALE  ! 


^v^^  ^^^R    ^^^^L    x^V.  ,^^xw      A 


OR, 


THE  BENDED  TWIG! 


Author  of  "SILVER  LAKE   STORIES." 


EIGHTH  THOUSAND  NOW  PRINTING  ! 

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Sup3rbly  Printed  and  Beautifully  Bound, 

Price  from  $1.00  to  $1.75,  according  to  style. 

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What  the  Press  Say : 

COUSIN  CICELY  is  very  industrious — whether  in  penciling 
lights  or  shadows,  in  describing  domestic  scenery,  or  inculcating 
religious  principles,  the  fair  author  possesses  a  happy  facility,  so 
as  to  render  her  productions  alike  agreeable  and  instructive, — 
Protestant  Churchman. 

This  book  is  written  in  a  style  well  calculated  to  please, 
and  contains  an  inestimable  moral — plain,  concise,  and  void  of 
superfluities,  that  a  child  may  understand  it—  diameters  life-like 
jairl  well  sustained,  and  the  whole  plan  of  the  work  is  good. — 
Tales  Co  Whig. 


2  WHAT  THE  PRESS  SAY. 

The  contents  of  the  work  are  of  the  first  order  and  unexcep 
tionable. — Rochester  Daily  Union. 

The  story  is  not  only  well  written,  but  it  has  merits  in  the 
dramatic  grouping  of  incidents,  graphic  delineation  of  character, 
and  the  affecting  interest  which  attracts  and  supports  the  reader's 
attention  through  the  whole  work,  from  the  opening  scene  to  the 
finale. — Rochester  Daily  Democrat. 

This  is  a  new  work  from  the  pen  of  the  gifted  author  of  the 
"  Silver  Lake  Storbs."  It  is  got  up  in  a  style  of  mechanical  el 
egance  equal  to  the  issues  of  Putnam  and  Appleton,  and  the 
quality  of  its  contents  will  not  be  found  behind  that  of  three- 
fourths  of  the  publications  that  emanate  from  the  pens  of  more 
wide-known  authors,  and  from  publishing  houses  that  employ 
none  but  the  best  ivritcrs. — Canandaigua  Messenger. 

It  is  a  story  designed  to  illustrate  the  deplorable  effects  of  a 
neglect  of  proper  parental  discipline  in  infancy ;  in  a  well- written 
preface,  the  authoress,  "  Cousin  Cicely,"  assures  us  it  is  substan 
tially  a  narrative  of  facts.  It  traces  the  career  of  a  spoiled  and 
petted  boy,  whose  mother  was  too  weak  and  •  indolent  to  restrain 
him  as  she  ought,  through  the  several  stages  of  a  perverse  child 
hood,  a  reckless  boyhood,  and  a  passionate,  ungovernable  youth,' 
till  this  victim  of  a  parent's  folly  is  found  in  a  felon's  cell,  with 
the  mark  of  Cain  on  his  brow. — dulurn  Daily  Advertiser. 

The  authoress,  who,  by  the  way,  need  not  be  afraid  to  sail 
under  her  own  proper  colors  hereafter,  claims  that  most  of  the 
incidents  are  taken  from  real  life  ;  a  very  creditable  averment,  as 
the  work,  with  slight  modifications  in  each  individual  case,  would 
prove  a  faithful  portraiture  of  the  early  training  and  subsequent 
career  of  nine-tenths  of  the  victims  of  the  gallows,  and  of  the 
penitentiary. — Mirror,  Lyons,  N.  Y. 

The  writer  of  this,  and  of  many  other  pleasant  volumes — 
"  Cousin  Cicely,"  as  she  chooses  to  be  called — is  gifted  with  rare 
talents,  which  she  is  wisely  devoting  to  useful  ends.  Her  charm 
ing  "Silver  Lake  Stories,"  have  effected  much  good,  and  this 


WHAT  THE  PRESS  SAY.  3 

work  is  well  calculated  to  do  the  same^both  with  children  of  the 
larger  and  of  the  smaller  growth.  *  *  *  Difficulties  of  va 
rious  natures  arise,  on  the  last  and  most  important  of  which  hangs 
the  catastrophe  of  the  story.  But  what  that  is,  and  how  the  book 
ends,  is  for  the  reader  to  find  out,  not  for  us  to  tell. — Albany  Eve 
Journal. 

*  *  *  One  of  the  domestic  sort — speaking  of  home,  dwel 
ling  upon  home  affections  and  family  character,  and  the  incidents 
of  common  life,  yet  as  deeply  interesting  as  the  most  romantic 
narrative.  It  has  not  been  paraded  before  the  public  with  osten 
tatious  praise ;  but  it  will  be  far  more  acceptable  to  the  reader 
than  many  works  that  have  thus  attracted  interest  in  advahce, 
without  being  able  to  meet  and  repay  it. — Many  Atlas. 


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J**J)J      7  !!.'!»," 


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FEB171994 


MAY  2  8 1995 


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